"I'M NOT SURE!" Simon Jordan QUESTIONS if Arsene Wenger can TAKEOVER as FIFA President!

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Simon Jordan questions whether Arsene Wenger could take over FIFA and calls UEFA pressure political

The show discusses UEFA demanding that FIFA answer 42 questions on governance and decision-making by 2 November, covering FIFA Forward Enterprise, a World Cup stake sale and Gianni Infantino's leadership. Simon Jordan argues UEFA is running interference rather than acting as a white knight and that changing the leader alone will not fix FIFA; on Arsene Wenger, he sees football value but doubts the political and physical fit for the presidency.

Simon Jordan and Jim White discuss Gianni Infantino's future as FIFA president and whether Arsene Wenger would be a good replacement. Subscribe: https://youtube.com/c/talkSPORT Enjoyed this YouTube video? 😍 🖥️ talkSPORT's Website: https://talksport.com/ 📲 talkSPORT's Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkSPORT 📷 talkSPORT's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talksport/?hl=en 👤 talkSPORT's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkSPORT/ 📱 talkSPORT's Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talksport ? 🔴 Download the talkSPORT app HERE! - https://talksport.com/apps/ 🔎 Want to see if you feature on our YouTube channel? Check out our Best talkSPORT callers playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFVMnSsi04LGLa9pS9xDvme-Gjmlu2 talkSPORT PremierLeague fifa

Transcript

It's pretty well known that UEFA and FIFA don't really get on, do they? Well, UEFA has told FIFA it must release key documents and answer all the questions that they are putting to them relating to its governance and decision making by a deadline of November the 2nd. And this is serious. UEFA are saying to FIFA, you've got the questions by November the 2nd. We want your answers. UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoris, what a great name. >> Mhm. said that world the world's football governing body had failed to address quotes a number of fundamental questions. So they want them answered and this is serious. They want them answered and they've given them a deadline of November the second. Simon, I'll give you a rough idea of some of the questions. There are 42 of them in all. FIFA Forward Enterprise the World Cup selloff proposal. Yep. >> Why did Janney Infantino negotiate to sell off a stake in FIFA tournaments in secret? >> That's one question. Here's another. >> Will the investigation into FIFA governance be independent? And why is FIFA blocking the release of documents? >> Yeah. >> Here's another. On what basis did FIFA propose to sell off a stake in World Cups at a valuation of $20 billion when this summer's tournament generated revenues of 15 billion? And here's another one, and you were pretty much right in expecting this to come up. We want a review of disciplinary procedures, especially regarding the Floren Balagan case. Why was Balagan allowed to play when he was suspended? >> Well, we know why. because Trump, >> but they also know why too because they a disciplinary panel was convened and it adjudicated and they decided to overturn what was at the time potentially a dubious red card anyway. So, but the fact there was no process available and had been determined and and a unique process has been established. So, they know all these answers. So, they're just playing to the gallery. Why are they doing it? Well, they're running interference because FIFA have reached into the club game and there's been rancor between the organizations about how far the World Club Championship starts to replicate and take away from the European Champions League and so on and so forth. Um, I don't know what jurisdiction UEFA will have, what obligations FIFA will have besides the obligations of in the court of public opinion, which has never seemed to bother them very much because it's such an opaque, you know, organization where no one really understands what's going on. Yeah. >> Um, so this is running interference. Uh, I don't think they've got any any jurisdiction over FIFA besides saying we represent a variety of European federations which you are accountable to. Um but the delegates that vote the president in will make their feelings certainly clear and have that ability to do so in the various environments that they operate in whether that's at Congress or whatever hearings they have or whatever meetings they have with the uh with the organization of FIFA. >> I maintain that Sepharin could stand himself. I people portray Sephron as this wonderful innovator that is for the best of the game. I'm not entirely sure that's right. He changed the construct of the constitution which enabled him to stay on as president for a longer period of time. He's chosen not to take it but he did it first and foremost to be able to to be able to stay in position. So he operates in a similar way to Infantino which is he likes the power. He didn't like the challenge of the European Super League and I know that people will agree with the premise of that but what he was trying to to achieve was a monopoly and create a monopoly and have no competition amongst European football which I don't think could be right. >> Yeah. Um and so they could all he's the vice president of FIFA he could stand himself uh for election. Uh I think Infantino is a product of a system and so it's one thing wanting to change leaders because obviously if you destabilize Infantino there's clearly an issue between Infantino and people like Sepharuim that don't you know that Nether Twain shall meet. So if you take Infantino out, you might have a different kind of leader, but you still have the same premise of a organization that has now thrown out a variety of leaders over the years >> that have been in power for long periods of time. Infantino being a better version of set plat being a better version of the the fellow that awarded the World Cup to Argentina in 1978 and all the controversy that went have a lunch and all that we saw in that situation. >> I mean, this is a a fishing expedition, isn't it? Do they honestly are they really bothered jifa about getting an answer from Infantino about >> who decided to establish the FIFA Peace Prize? For what purpose? Who decided the president of the United States should receive it? >> They win on either front optics of playing it into the court of public opinion because if they don't get an answer, then they can play that game. If they do get an answer, they can pick the answer to pieces, turn it into something they want to. The questions are heavily loaded because they know the answers to the questions. They if you want to ask them if they knew the guy if you took these guys that have created these questions um the the general secretary of UEFA whatever his name is the Greek fellow right if he was asked what the answers to these questions were he'd be able to give you the answers but he doesn't want to be the person giving me the answers because that's not his job he wants FIFA to commit to the answers so I can then use them and weaponize those answers against FIFA which I'm not averse to but if anyone is suggesting that UEFA are the white knights >> of of international football then they'd be wrong they have their own challen challenges. I want to put this to you Sammy before we leave this. You you mentioned three names. Avalanche, we all know about him, >> the Brazilian >> set Blatter now in Fantino and the general public's looking at it thinking FIFA what what is it about FIFA and these characters at the top. >> Yeah. >> So, we've still to hear >> if anyone's going to stand against Infantino. It's unlikely, but we're still to hear Venger's name was mentioned, but nothing's forthcoming on that. >> Got about four weeks in which to nominate somebody. Say somebody is put forward in your view. What does that person have to look like to be the next vifa? What on earth do they need? Well, they need all the attributes that Infantino has had and his predecessors have had with a little bit more realization that absolute power shouldn't corrupt absolutely and provide individual opportunities for the person that governance at its center around the well-being of the world's biggest game. I mean, he's not a fool infantino. He's not this this awful Kaiser soulshi character as he's painted out to be. Like many people get in great positions of influence and power. There are many things written about him which are true. Some things that are written about him which are exaggerated. Yeah. >> And some things that written about him which are completely untrue. But when you're in positions of great influence, it's clearly one of the main beneficiaries of the opportunity that was being created by the forward transactions surrounding the monetization of the uh FFE proposition. Mhm. >> was Infantino himself. He would have received a massive benefit from there. People rumor that there was up to if not more than 100 million would have been his own personal stake for achieving this outcome. So that might give you some of the reasons why he was in that position. Yeah. Um and that in of itself is because the system doesn't hold people accountable because the system is so opaque and football should demand a more transparent FIFA. The difficulty is is I'm also a believer that not every aspect of every nuance of every government decision of every administrative decision should be out in the clear blue sky because sometimes people don't understand what they're looking at and formulate their own opinions and you get all these so-called pseudo experts that start to create these conspiracy theories about how things work. But if you could add a little bit more transparency, a little bit more coherency because there will always be the argument that sunlight is the best the best disinfectant. Yeah. But there are some things that need to be done in a certain way that doesn't doesn't respond or need public scrutiny over every nuance nuance and aspect. >> Um, in so far as Infantino being the ultimate bad guy, I'm not in that camp. I always think there is context and nuance. But I think if if there was a a pure view, then Infantino's course should have been run now. >> Sure. >> But you've got to have a viable stand up against him, >> right? >> Be the answer. >> Well, I said I could be the answer. No, >> you'd be a fist of it, would you not? >> No, because I'm not a political animal and you got you've got to have compromise at your center. It's all well and good barking at the moon and telling people what you think of them, but you've also got to bring people with you and to some extent that makes me a politically incorrect animal. And to be in those spaces, you've got to have political correctness to some extent. >> In a couple of sentences before we get to 12 noon, yes, I know you haven't been here for it. >> I think arson would from an from a football point of view would be an antidote to lots of the challenges. You'd never see a situation like the Balagan circumstance, which is a controversy of its own making. I'm not sure despite the intellect of the man um and the ability to be commercially in his thinking that the political maneuverings that are required would be of his liking and I think that you would lose something in Wenger in terms of his ability to be focused on the football side of things which is his role was in the FIFA is by putting him inside a political space where where he has to manage federations he has to manage expectations. I also think with due respect to him, it's at a stage in his life, I know he won't like to hear this, where it might be just a bigger job than the physical capabilities of someone in their mid to late 70s. I mean, I'm happy to be pushed back on that by asking. >> Okay, anyone listening from FIFA this lunchtime, answer UH's questions. They're getting a bit antsy about it. It's from