Let’s face it, decisions made by FIFA come down to one thing: money. Revenue being a key factor in making said decisions explains why FIFA has selected certain countries to host the World Cup, for better or worse.
The 1966 World Cup is really considered the start of the business model that FIFA would use for World Cups to come. With deals made with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), whose members included the BBC, this was the first World Cup that was widely televised. It was also the first World Cup to introduce a mascot (Willie), which provided many merchandising opportunities.
The search for more revenue would also be a key factor in the 1994 World Cup in the United States. This World Cup took the merchandising, and promotion that was established in 1966 and cranked it up to eleven. Sponsorships were offered, which allowed companies to create licensed merchandise for the World Cup. It was the most profitable World Cup at the time, and broke many other records, which set it as the model for every World Cup after.
While FIFA’s quest for more revenue has been successful for them, it has also taken them to some dark places. This was seen in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. Despite the fact that Argentina was under the control of a military dictatorship, and was actively committing many crimes against humanity, FIFA still hosted the World Cup in Argentina. The Argentinian government used the World Cup for their own political gains, and to promote themselves in front of the world. In the background, not too far away from several stadiums, they were torturing political prisoners.
This brings up a common theme with the World Cup, which is that corrupt nations will tend to use it as a way to promote themselves, and sweep their corruption under the rug. This was previously done in 1934 with Fascist Italy. FIFA has been willing to allow the World Cup to be used by corrupt governments for political gains, as long as they are still making money.
By Tommy Oneto
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