Colombia Exposes FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s World Cup Exit

As someone in the public eye, FIFA president Gianni Infantino should take consistency seriously.

His decision to leave the Women’s World Cup—less than a week after it began in Australia and New Zealand on July 20—doesn’t stack up with his appearances throughout the last men’s World Cup in Qatar. Albeit temporary, the departure also undermines his support pre-tournament, including a demand for better monetary offers from paying broadcasters.

High-stakes knockout matches will be all the talk when the international soccer chief returns from his reported stay in on the South Pacific islands. Yet, as this spectacle has already shown, the Women’s World Cup is worth more than any showpiece game. South American participant Colombia highlights this better than most, making Infantino’s absence especially pronounced.

In defeating soccer powerhouse Germany in a Group H encounter, coach Nelson Abadía’s team has set the tournament alight. Producing perhaps the standout moment so far, 18-year-old winger Linda Caicedo danced with the ball in the box before floating in an unstoppable effort to give her side the lead. A late overtime winner from Manuela Vanegas was less beautiful but even more dramatic, leaving Colombia near qualification and Germany with work to do.

The result sparked euphoria in a nation whose men couldn’t grasp a spot in the last equivalent major championship. A report in El Tiempo, a major national outlet, said it was the most important victory in Colombian women’s soccer history (Spanish) and likened the game’s moments to a poem.

For clarity, dazzling Colombia is a respected international side, with a few players—like Real Madrid Femenino’s Caicedo—starring in Spain’s top-tier Liga F. Nevertheless, it’s not even a dark horse for the trophy, with this only its third World Cup appearance. In a young, 32-year-old tournament often dominated by select teams, an emerging women’s soccer nation like Colombia shows what the landscape may be in years to come, with even more high-profile names vying for honors.

Looking below Colombia, there is huge room for widespread progress on the grass. Not every fixture has brought abundant quality in an expanded 32-team format featuring eight debuting nations, with some one-sided contests to date. So far, The Philippines, Morocco, Zambia, and Italy have wilted against more established teams on the biggest stage this summer.

However, there has been nothing outside the ordinary. In 2019, the United States trounced Thailand 13-0. A goal fest, yes. And one that exhibited the U.S.’s impressive towering standing in women’s soccer, but not ideal from a competitive international angle. By increasing from 24 participants to 32, more imbalanced scorelines were a reasonable concern. Instead, by handing weaker countries top-level grounding and making the competition harder to win, every team can grow from the experience.

Generally speaking, there’s an upward path regarding pay, too. For the first time in a Women’s World Cup, players from competing teams like Colombia receive performance-related bonuses from FIFA, with amounts depending on how far they progress in the competition. These range from a €27,200 ($30,000) sum for group-stage participation to €245,000 ($270,000) for finishing champion. However, there remains a disparity when you scale up earnings between male and female professionals across the globe, although the U.S. is one of the exceptions regarding international teams.

Another key talking point is anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, seemingly a much greater risk for women and one that limits the stars available to play in the biggest fixtures, which draw more eyeballs every four years. That harms the product, and tackling it requires advances in research and perhaps better available footwear.

So, as the sport aims to grow on multiple fronts, it’s worth taking in the best story as it unfolds. That could be Colombia, bouncing after inflicting Germany’s first group-stage defeat since 1995. Whatever transpires, the man overlooking the whole operation will not have been present throughout the ride when he’s supposed to be steering the ship.