By Paul Nicholson
September 16 – While UEFA’s executive committee were yesterday finding out that it was too late to change the new structure agreed for Champions League qualification that favours Europe’s big four leagues and their biggest clubs, a high level delegation from one of the biggest of those clubs, FC Barcelona, was meeting FIFA president Gianni Infantino at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.
The day before Infantino had attended the UEFA Congress, a forum Barcelona would likely have felt less comfortable at considering the prevailing mood of member associations.
The agenda for the Zurich meeting between Barcelona and Infantino is unclear, with a posting on the Barcelona website saying it “saw the formalisation of the resumption of institutional relations between the two parties, broken during the presidency of Joseph Blatter.” Quite what constitutes those ‘broken’ institution relations is unclear as FIFA and Barcelona have no documented formal or institutional tie-up.
Barcelona were given a transfer ban by FIFA for breaking regulations over the signing and movement of youth players (minors). FIFA’s rules are in place to protect minors and prevent child-trafficking in football. Barcelona contested the transfer ban but lost all its appeals.
The timing of the trip to FIFA to meet Infantino is curious, as was the Barcelona web statement that: “In fact, relations with Gianni Infantino have been excellent since his time as general secretary of UEFA, and since his election as FIFA president, contacts and meetings in different areas have been constant.”
“This was an institutional visit to FIFA to rebuild relations after the past two years and to talk about football. FIFA is an organisation that is open to all,” said a FIFA spokesperson.
Barcelona is a club and as such is not a member of FIFA but actually under the jurisdiction of its own national federation, Spain. Though it is of course based in Catalonia, and is frequently used as a symbol of Catalonian autonomy.
Nor does Barcelona play in any FIFA competitions but in UEFA’s competitions.
Barcelona was represented by its president Josep Maria Bartomeu, accompanied by sporting vice-president Jordi Mestre, director of professional sports Albert Soler and director of football Raúl Sanllehí. Zvonimir Boban, the former Croatian football player who is now part of Infantino’s advisory team, was also present.
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