By Andrew Warshaw
April 28 – Eager to put down a marker and enhance his reputation in the early days of his FIFA presidency, Gianni Infantino has taken the somewhat bold step of suggesting a goodwill friendly between North and South Korea amid escalating tensions between the two countries.
Infantino presented the idea during a visit to Seoul saying such a fixture could help diffuse the worsening political divisions.
“We should bring everyone together around a football pitch… I’m ready to help and assist in whatever way is necessary,” Infantino said.
The two Koreas last held a friendly match in Seoul in 2005 since when sporting fixtures have ground to a halt. “Sometimes imagination can come true. Sometimes dreams can come true. These things can become a reality,” Infantino said.
While in the South Korean capital, he met with FIFA global sponsor Hyundai as he bids to rebuild trust in the governing body with its key commercial partners. He also defended his case for an enlarged 40-team World Cup in 2026, up from the current 32, saying the expansion would be “perfectly justified”
Asia currently has four automatic spots at the World Cup finals, with a fifth up for grabs in an inter-confederation playoff. Infantino, who not so long ago was banging the drum for Europe as UEFA’s number two but is learning fast about saying the right thing in the right continent, said that number could rise to at least six under an expanded format.
“I’m not a dictator so I can’t impose anything but I’m trying to convince everyone. I believe we have to increase the number of teams… because we have to be more inclusive.”
The trip to Korea is significant on a number of levels from commercial to political, and not just in terms of FIFA’s potential contribution to soft global politics. Korea initially had its own candidate for the presidency of FIFA in the election race that saw Sepp Blatter initially re-elected in May 2015. Chung Mong-Joon, who was later banned by FIFA, stood on a very aggressive anti-Blatter platform.
While having been long time head of the Korean FA and a FIFA executive committee member, Chung can also safely be assumed to have held significant influence over commercial matters with his family’s ownership of Hyundai. Hence, Korea’s position in world football was not insignificant, though with Chung’s removal from the game
Infantino (who was never in the election race against Chung but at that time was banging the anti-FIFA drum for other candidates) held important meetings with Korean Football Association President Chung Monggyu reportedly covering football development as well as preparations for next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup which South Korea will host.
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