FIFA president Gianni Infantino proudly hailed this summer’s inaugural edition of the expanded Club World Cup as a “big bang” moment for soccer.
Given the swollen sums on offer for teams operating in confederations with more modest budgets, the tournament could spark several increasingly one-sided universes. Auckland City’s amateurs, as an example, accrued the smallest sum yet still returned to their day jobs as barbers, advertising executives and trainee teachers with $4.6 million in the club’s coffers. That’s the equivalent of winning the OFC Champions League 61 times.
