Fifa president Gianni Infantino speaks at the 13th edition of the Dubai International Sports Conference, at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. AFP
Fifa president Gianni Infantino speaks at the 13th edition of the Dubai International Sports Conference, at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. AFP

Gianni Infantino: Fifa exploring idea of Gulf countries helping Qatar stage expanded 48-team World Cup



Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, has confirmed the sport’s ruling body are looking in to the feasibility of extending the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams, and staging matches elsewhere in the Gulf.

The competition will definitely be increased from 32 teams by the time of the 2026 event, in Canada, United States and Mexico.

Fifa are, though, considering whether it would be possible to do so four years ahead of schedule, when the competition is played in Qatar.

Infantino believes increasing the size of the first World Cup to be played in the Middle East might mean having to play matches in neighbouring countries.

“The discussion is not anymore, ‘Is it good or is it bad that it goes to 48 teams,’ it is, ‘Can we do it earlier’?” Infantino said, speaking at the Dubai International Sports Conference on Wednesday.

“If you think it is a good thing to have 48 teams in a World Cup, and we will have it in 2026, why shouldn’t we try to have it already four years before?

"It is never too late to do something good, which is why we are analysing whether it is possible to have 48 teams in 2022.

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“It will be quite a challenge, to say it diplomatically correct, to have 48 teams in Qatar. Thirty-two is possible, which is what is going to happen, but if we can increase to 48 and make the world happy, we should try it.

“If we can maybe convince some of the neighbouring countries in the Gulf region, who are very close by, can stage maybe a few games in the World Cup, that could be very beneficial, not just for the region but for the world.”

Infantino believes the ongoing diplomatic boycott of Qatar by countries including the UAE does not preclude the possibility of a cross-border Gulf World Cup.

“I am not naïve,” Infantino said. “I read the news and watch the media, so I know the headlines that there are tensions in this particular region.

“It is up to the respective leaders to deal with them. But, maybe. It is easier to talk about a joint football project than other things.

“If it can help all the people in the Gulf, and all the countries of the world, to develop football, if it can bring a positive message for what football can do, then we should give it a try.”

Infantino is confident there are enough strong nations to make an expanded tournament compelling.

“In the  2018 World Cup in Russia, teams like Italy, Netherlands, the United States and Cameroon did not participate,” he said.

“The quality is there, and participation in the World Cup boosts the participation in a country. It makes the whole country proud. That is why it is important to have more teams.”

Who are the Sacklers?

The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.

Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. 

It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.

Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".

The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.

Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.

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