Mexico and Argentina swap their fight with UEFA for an alliance with Infantino — and this goes beyond football
The football federations of Mexico and Argentina have chosen Infantino's side in the FIFA crisis. Here's what's at stake on and off the pitch.
FIFA politics rarely spares fans from surprises — and this week was no exception.
While UEFA is leading an organised push for changes in the governing body's governance following the collapse of the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, Mexico and Argentina moved in the opposite direction: both federations publicly declared their support for Gianni Infantino, according to reporting by Trivela.
The gesture is no small thing. Mexico and Argentina are two of the biggest forces in the Americas — on and off the pitch. When they choose a side in a dispute of this magnitude, the message lands loud and clear.
On the sporting side, the two countries arrive at the World Cup in very different situations. The Golmetria model gives Argentina a 6.92% chance of lifting the trophy — and an impressive 68.35% probability of reaching the final. Mexico, meanwhile, shows zero chances beyond the quarter-finals, despite comfortably securing their place in the group stage.
They are rivals on the pitch and allies behind the scenes. That combination is rarely a coincidence.
The question that lingers: how far does this alliance go — and what do Mexico and Argentina expect to gain from it when FIFA's decisions on the future of world football are finally made?