As the final week of this World Cup begins, the air around the stadiums is thick with tension and possibility. The semifinals are set, and if the buil...
As the final week of this World Cup begins, the air around the stadiums is thick with tension and possibility. The semifinals are set, and if the buildup is anything to go by, we are in for a couple of afternoons that will test the nerve of every squad still standing. But while the footballing world rightly focuses on the tactical chess matches ahead, a different kind of storm is brewing in the corridors of power. Gianni Infantino has done what he does best: thrown a grenade into the conversation.The suggestion of a 64 team tournament for future editions is, on the face of it, a logistical fantasy. More nations, more matches, more chances for the so called smaller sides to taste the big time. But let's be honest with ourselves. Is this about growing the game or about growing the bank balance At GoalZaza, we have seen this script before. The expansion from 32 to 48 teams already stretched the group stage to the point of dilution. Doubling down to 64 feels less like a vision and more like a cash grab dressed up in a kit of inclusivity. And yet, the romantic in me cannot entirely dismiss it. Imagine the scenes if a San Marino or a Tahiti somehow made it through a continental qualifier. The pitch would be uneven, sure, but the stories would be intoxicating.Back to the here and now, though. The semi finalists have earned their place through a combination of low block resilience, clinical finishing on the counter, and the sort of transitional play that leaves defenders in a spin. We have seen teams park the bus only to nick a goal on the break. We have seen others try to dominate possession and get picked off by a team sitting deep and waiting for the mistake. It has been a tournament defined by tactical flexibility, and the managers who can read the game in real time are the ones still in the hotel. One wonders if any of these squads considered the long term impact of extra time and penalty shootouts on their legs, or if they are just living in the moment, as top level football demands.Then there is the figure at the centre of everything. His smile, his suit, his sheer omnipresence. I mean, just look at him. Infantino is not just a president; he is a character in the drama, a man who seems to relish the attention as much as the power. When he speaks about 64 teams, he knows exactly what he is doing. He is testing the waters, seeing if the media and the public will bite. At GoalZaza we have been tracking these signals for months, and this feels like the opening gambit in a game of political poker that will run all the way to the next FIFA Congress. Whether you love him or loathe him, you cannot deny that the man knows how to keep the circus rolling.So as we gear up for the semis, the question is simple: can the football on the pitch outshine the noise from the boardroom The players have the chance to write headlines that will drown out even the most ambitious expansion plans. A goal in the 89th minute, a penalty save, a piece of individual brilliance that leaves the world in awe. That is what we came for. The suits can plan their 64 team future all they want, but for now, the beautiful game belongs to the men in the kits and the fans in the stands. Squeaky bum time, indeed.
