Making Adjustments For Posterity!

The 23rd edition of the FIFA-organised football world cup has rounded off in the United States of America, Mexico and Ca­ nada with much take-home lessons for all the stakeholders of the global football showpiece. After about three weeks of competition (June 11 to July 19, 2026), the 48 nations that took part in the tour­ nament have different stories to tell. Ob­ viously based on their pre-competition ambitions and how well they fared throu­ ghout. It holds same for the organiser of the competition as all of them seek to correct mistakes for a better future. Inasmuch as the actors may never be unanimous on their assessment of the just-ended world cup, one thing remains paramount: All must be done to make Spain-Morocco-Portugal 2030 better than USA-Mexico-Canada 2026. This requires a thorough assessment of the competition in all its facets. In fact, a near objective analyses of how each compartment fared, what was well done which can be upheld, as well as areas of weakness where amendments are needed to make future editions better. Again, the will to change for the better is fundamental. It may be true that countries have their sovereign rights but the interest of the game must be made to prevail, irrespective of the strength or weakness of any coun­ try. This is one of the areas in which FIFA absolutely needs to step in to strike a balance, else the superiority and or infe­ riority complex that raised their ugly heads this time around might derail the fairness and fair-play that the sports is supposed to herald. Football has proven to be a real unifier and it can be frustrating that some actors of the game are either ill-treated or blatantly denied entry to some countries hosting the venerated sports. Conv...