Paddy Power has taken aim at FIFA and its President, Gianni Infantino, following a haphazard scheme to sell stakes in the World Cup.
Often touted as the best in the business on marketing, the Flutter Entertainment-owned, UK-and-Ireland-focused operator has dropped yet another pretty entertaining post.
It sees a member of the Paddy Power team placing a sign outside FIFA’s headquarters in Switzerland, reading: “FOR SALE – To anyone – anyone – with money, power and a willingness to endure Gianni’s small talk.”
Infantino’s financially-focused plan
Infantino and FIFA are looking to bag a mammoth $4.2bn from investors led by Josh Kushner’s Thrive Eternal, and many will already know how well – or horribly – this plan has gone down.
The Swiss businessman, who sparked consistent controversy throughout the World Cup, wants to create what he has dubbed the “FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE)” a proposed $20bn commercial subsidiary to manage the World Cup among other tournaments.
There is a plan to offload 20% of this – $4.2bn – to private investors.
UEFA and CONCACAF have both stood firm in saying that football is not FIFA and Infantino’s to sell, and the former has announced its European nations will boycott the 2030 World Cup if the plan goes ahead.
Public uproar has ensued since the plans were revealed by The Times journalist Martyn Ziegler, and it seems Paddy Power is looking to side with that opinion with this latest stunt.
It is looking ever more likely that Infantino’s scheme will not go ahead – Insider Sport reported today that his Senior Advisor, Carlos Cordeiro has resigned from his role in protest.
Paddy Power has previously been an opinionated social media account when it comes to football related issues, as seen by its tweets when UEFA announced a proposal to create a European Super League – a proposal which ultimately ended in failure after international fan backlash.
The company has a long history of tongue-in-cheek, humorous and sometimes controversial marketing, with ads and skits around the Premier League, rugby, World Cup, horse racing and everything in between.
It seemed like these days could maybe be behind it when redundancies were confirmed in the marketing department earlier this year, but today’s jibe about FIFA suggests the tricksters in Paddy Power’s creative team are still as quick-witted as ever.
