NEW YORK CITY – When Gianni Infantino said last year that the World Cup would be the equivalent of “104 Super Bowls”, we assumed that he meant massive sporting occasions that would dominate the sports news agenda across the globe. Actually, he was signposting matches being broken up into manufactured quarters with an overly long break in the middle for some musicians to play. Listen, fair play.
In New Jersey on Sunday, the biggest match in world football for four years will have its typical fabric altered to accommodate Justin Bieber and Madonna, amongst others. Shakira will be there too, although in fairness the Colombian singing temptress seems to have been at almost as many matches as Infantino over the last six weeks.
The official word was that the half-time show would only last 11 minutes, but now we hear that it will be 30 minutes long. Ifab’s laws of the game dictate that half-time should be 15 minutes in length but who cares about such trifles when you can make it up and make money as you go along.
I’m perfectly prepared to be considered grumpy and melodramatic when that grumpiness combines with football, but is this not an absolute disgrace? In the highest-profile, most important match, we are shifting the fabric of the match itself to accommodate something that has no relation to the sporting contest and thus actively risks harming it. The players will have to adapt. Are they not supposed to be the star turns here?
