By Paul Nicholson
October 5 – One of the leaders of football’s brave new world, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, has suggested that Russia and Qatar hosting the 2018 and 2022 World Cups could be the best thing to have happened to football in that it provided an accelerant for the clean-up of the game globally, and particularly in his region.
Speaking at the Leaders in Sport conference in London, and referring to the US corruption probe that has turned the governance of the game upside down and brought personnel change globally, Montagliani said: “If Russia and Qatar had not won the World Cup would we be in the same position we are in now? It may be the best thing to have happened to football. If the US had won the World Cup maybe there would have been status quo, these things wouldn’t have happened…and I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
“I’m just wondering if the authorities that have stepped up their involvement in the game would’ve done that if the choices had been a bit different. I would hope they would have done what they have done regardless of it but sometimes I wonder.”
The World Cup is inevitably high on FIFA’s agenda for its Council meetings next week when possible expansion to as many as 48 teams will be discussed. If 2018 and 2022 are now set in stone – Montagliani says they are going to happen as programmed – then 2026 would likely be the first expanded format.
“It is time the World Cup was back in the CONCACAF region,” he said. “We have not had it since 1994.” The US, Mexico and Montagliani’s own country Canada have all expressed an interest in hosting 2026 but he caveats any future bids saying “we will see what the regulations are (for bidding) and what is acceptable”. This viewpoint has also been frequently expressed by US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati who felt that in the last round of World Cup biding rules were nit transparent or equally applied,
“A regional bid makes a lot of sense,” said Montagliani. “If you look at our game and leagues, football is very regional and it would be very consistent with how we play our football.”
It is the shape of that regional bid which will determine its reality. The US with its economic power and infrastructure would clearly be the dominant partner with group games and some knockout games shared with Mexico and Canada. Expanding the format from 32 teams would not be a major logisitical issue for such a bid in terms of infrastructure
“Obviously (the World Cup is) not going to be 32 teams. The message from the president (of FIFA) is that we need to look at adding more teams. We don’t want 211 but the reality is the World Cup is such a strong brand…it provides a lot of groundswell in countries to promote the game, sponsors and so on,” said Montagliani.
But he said it “has to work on a numbers and business standpoint. There needs to be a cost-benefit analysis.”
Four and a half months into his presidency Montagliani is introducing a new culture and change to a confederation that was brought to its knees by the arrests of its two former presidents and the president before that fighting an extradition request from the US.
Montagliani was part of the three-man emergency committee set up to run the confederation but said “that it is different when you are in the pilot chair. It is eye-opening in terms of how the organisation needs to be run.
“We have to allow more corporate governance into the game…Leadership is not about power, it is about service.” Montagliani’s background is in corporate Canada and CONCACAF is starting to resemble a more corporate looking structure though it will still need to find time and space for football .
“In terms of corporate culture we are a significantly behind but we are catching up,” he said.
One of first things he did after taking office was a sponsor tour. “It was (another) eye-opener to be told you are the first president to step on our premises…
“Cultural change is about the little things an not about the big things only. It is about empowering staff… it is also about not living in a culture of fear. The confederation was saved because of its staff keeping things together during the crisis. That needs to be recognised…it is how we deal with people on a daily basis.”
A criticism frequently made of the confederation is that its economic powers and its voting powers are not unified – traditionally it is North America versus the Caribbean. This is still a challenge for the confederation though not necessarily a pre-requisite of good governance. “I am on a platform of OneConcacaf. We have traditionally been 31-7-3 (Caribbean nations, central America, north America) and did everything on that basis. That may be good for a combination lock but not to run a confederation. We are 41 nations, 41 presidents, 41 members together on a strategic platform.”
Into this equation comes the messages of reform that the US Department of Justice has let it be known had to take place. CONCACAF was one of the first confederations to adopt new reform proposals back in February, having been left in no doubt by the US Department of Justice that without these reforms the federation’s status could quickly switch from that of being seen as the ‘victim’ to that of the perpetrator. It seems US justice is nothing unless it can be leveraged or is negotiable.
What has been perpetrated since has not necessarily been met with universal approval – particularly by the 31 Caribbean nations – but it is a long, tricky and still frequently politically motivated journey.
Part of the changes have been the introduction of a chief legal and compliance officer. “(We) can no linger do things on a wink and a nod. They have to do done in a structured and managed way.”
If that is an example of a practical governance change, then how can a change of marketplace perception be brought about to reflect that? One solution could be the rebranding of CONCACAF’s somewhat unwieldy name – not an entirely new idea. “The idea was brought up at the last council meeting. We are looking at it and (there is some merit in) leverage of a new brand with a new name,” said Montagliani.
One is reminded of the headman’s axe. With four new blades and six new handles is it the same axe?
With Montagliani saying that they are implementing a new organizational structure and re-examining their competition structures – in particular the Gold Cup and Champions League – it seems that the axe will be going through a few more blades.
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