October 2, 2025 • 30 mins
FIFA Museum Exposed: Whitewashing Glory, Global Power, and the Hidden History of World FootballWe offer a comprehensive look at the FIFA Museum's operations and global expansion, detailing its diverse range of offerings and some associated controversy. The museum, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, features a permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of football, including sections like "The Rainbow" of national team shirts and "The FIFA World Cup Gallery" showcasing original trophies and memorabilia. Beyond its main location, the museum has been actively pursuing international growth, opening a permanent presence in Madrid and planning another in Miami, following a year of exceeding visitor and digital engagement targets. A key focus of the museum's recent activity is its special exhibitions, such as Innovation in Action: Football Technologies on and off the Pitch, which explores how technology impacts the sport, and pop-up displays celebrating events like the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. However, one source critiques the museum as a "Masterclass in Reputational Whitewashing," arguing that it deliberately omits or minimizes Fifa’s history of corruption and controversial political connections while focusing on the game's positive cultural impact and memorabilia.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and other streaming services! Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review to help more players and coaches discover the power of Techne Futbol and Data Technology in the beautiful game.
#TechneAfricaFutbol #TechneFutbol #TrainWithTechne #Playermaker #TraceFutbol #Hudl #FootballTech #FootballInnovation #PlayerDevelopment #CoachTools #SmartFootballTraining #AfricanFootball #CAFOnline #FIFA #FIFAYouth #CAFDevelopment #YouthFootballAfrica #NextGenFootball #FootballScouting #TalentIdentification #DigitalScouting #EliteYouthDevelopment #FootballJourney #FootballAnalytics #FIFAForward #FutebolAfricano #TrainTrackCompete #FootballExcellence #FootballAfrica #TheFutureOfFootball
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Get ready. Today we are not just talking
about a sport. We are talking about, well, the
largest, most pervasive and mostpassion fueled cultural
phenomenon on the planet, football.
And we are diving deep into the institution that attempts to
capture all of it. The history, the glory, the
tech. And yeah, the controversy, too.
(00:22):
We're stepping inside the FIFA Museum.
It's, you know, this remarkable place in Zurich, but its
ambition is truly global. Our mission today really is to
unpack this entire operation foryou.
We're talking the immense scale,physical and digital presence,
the incredible artifacts. Yeah.
Yeah, the actual objects. But also, crucially, the
specific choices it makes, the curatorial choices when it
(00:45):
presents football's pretty complicated history.
Back to you, the fan. So this is a deep dive into that
like tension between the magic of the game we all love and the
hard business, the sometimes messy business of managing that
game globally. If you want a shortcut to
understanding how the biggest governing body in world sport
frames its own story, well, let's unpack this global
(01:06):
powerhouse. OK, let's start with just the
sheer scale. The Zurich headquarters, right?
The numbers alone suggest this isn't some, you know, niche
little collection. It feels like a major global
draw. Oh, it absolutely is.
The Zurich place, yeah, that's the home base.
Physically, ideologically. And get this, They've surpassed
their visitor targets for the second year running.
(01:27):
Wow. OK, what are we talking number
wise? Over 250,000 visitors in 2024
alone. So think about that. 1/4 of a
million people. That's huge.
It's not just high traffic, it shows they can consistently pull
people, international visitors to Switzerland specifically for
this football history experience.
And that success in Zurich, it seems like it's really fueled
(01:49):
this, I don't know, aggressive international expansion strategy
that feels like the really critical recent development.
It is. I mean, their goal is clearly to
embed the museum's brand in key global football markets.
They're not just staying put. So outside Switzerland, what
happened in 2024? Well, they managed to attract
over 100,000 fans to exhibitionsand activations outside of
(02:11):
Switzerland. OK, 100,000 more.
Yeah, which says a lot about their ability to like, take the
show on the road, you know, and their commitment to not just
being Zurich centric. Let's dig into that
international reach. Europe first.
Where did they plant that first permanent flag?
Outside Switzerland. That was Madrid.
A massive strategic move really.It launched back in June 2023
(02:32):
and it's branded as the FIFA Museum at Legends Experience.
Madrid Choosing Madrid, Well, it's obviously strategic, right?
Huge football city, deep history.
Makes sense? And the collaboration with
Legends, it shows their leveraging partners, existing
cultural places rather than, youknow, building everything from
scratch every time. Smart.
(02:53):
And then the Americas. That feels equally significant,
especially with the 2026 World Cup coming up in North America.
Miami's next. Miami's huge.
Yeah, They're gearing up to opena new permanent exhibition
there. It's in Miami's iconic Freedom
Tower. Freedom Tower.
Wow. Summer 2025 is the target and
putting it there in that building, I mean, it positions
(03:15):
the museum right at this intersection of like
international trade, finance, culture in the US.
And the timing just before the World Cup.
Exactly. It clearly signals they want to
capture and maybe, you know, inform that massive US audience
about the game's deep history just as the biggest tournament
ever hits the region. But it's not just about the
buildings, the real estate. It seems like there's a focus on
(03:37):
like educational routes to academia.
Yeah, that's the sort of sophisticated layer to the
strategy. I think alongside the Miami
launch, they've set up this key partnership with Miami-Dade
College developing educational projects together.
So it's about integrating into academia, aiming for, you know,
longevity and credibility beyondjust being a tourist and.
We saw that already. In the first signs were their
(03:59):
participation in the Miami book fair.
They centered their discussion there on football's broader
cultural impact. It's sociology.
It suggests a long term goal, right?
Become not just a place with stuff, but like a cultural
authority on the game. OK, let's shift gears.
The digital side, the scale there sounds equally, maybe even
(04:19):
more mind boggling. They're reaching millions who
might never get to Zurich or Miami.
Oh, their digital dominance is undeniable.
Get this 7.8 million engagementsacross their social media
platforms in 2024. 7.8 million, yeah.
Think about that, that 7.8 million times someone somewhere
(04:40):
is actively interacting with content.
The museum provides educational,cultural, historical stuff.
Their total digital community, it's now over 1,000,000
followers. It just proves the appetite for
the history and the culture of football is massive, totally
separate from just watching the live games.
And they're doing cool things with digital products too,
right? Making exclusive stuff available
globally. Precisely like they took the
(05:01):
first FIFA World Cup virtual reality experience that used to
be only if you went to Zurich. Right, I remember that.
Now they've released it as an athome version.
Anyone with the gear can access it.
That's critical, like democratizes that really
immersive historical experience.Yeah.
It's a shift from, you know, keeping it behind the museum
walls to spreading it digitally.So if we pull all this together,
(05:24):
the visitors, the expansion, thedigital numbers, what's the big
picture from the leadership? What's the managing director
Marco Fazon saying is the goal behind all this huge effort?
Well, Fazon's statement is pretty clear.
He's exceeding those targets. Visitor and digital shows an
unwavering commitment to showcasing football's rich
history and culture. OK, standard stuff.
Yeah, but the overall goal is defined as education and
(05:46):
inspiration through the magic offootball.
What's interesting is how they measure success.
It's not just about money. It's global engagement,
educational integration. It frames the museum, not it's
just a passive display case, butit's like an active expanding
cultural agent for FIFA. OK, so we've got this picture of
massive global reach, huge expansion plans.
(06:08):
Let's now walk inside the home base in Zurich.
How do they translate that global scale into what you
actually see and feel there? Right.
Well, the moment you step inside, they hit you with the
global nature of the game. How so?
The entrance uses these big multilingual video screens.
They show football being played everywhere, fancy stadiums,
remote gusty pitches, you name it.
(06:29):
Diversity is key. And language.
Instantly, you're offered a freeaudio guide, available in eight
languages. Straight away, the message is
wherever you're from, this history is your history too.
It's about accessibility. OK, let's get into the specific
rooms, the exhibits, starting with maybe the most visually
striking 1 the rainbow. The rainbow.
(06:50):
Yeah, it's a 35m long display. Just breathtaking, honestly.
It's designed purely to celebrate the global appeal, the
universality of football. And it does that with.
Jerseys Official jerseys from all 211 FIFA member
associations. Every single one.
All 211. Wow.
But what's really clever here, apparently, is how they're
arranged. It's not by rank or
alphabetically. Exactly.
(07:11):
That's the crucial curatorial choice.
They could have ranked them right, put the World Cup winners
at the front. But no.
So how are they arranged? Purely by color, they form this
seamless, vibrant spectrum. It's subtly deprioritizes the
whole competitive hierarchy thatFIFA, you know, normally
governs. Interesting.
So it creates a different narrative.
(07:31):
Totally a narrative of inclusion, shared passion, like
the game belongs to everyone regardless of rank.
It's a quiet, but I think powerful statement.
But even in this space celebrating Unity, they still
managed to connect it to the themodern, commercial side of the
game. Oh.
Absolutely. The rainbow isn't just the
historical jerseys, it has this outer ring.
(07:53):
OK, that outer ring pays direct tribute to the brand new
tournament, the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
The Controversial 1. Well, yeah.
It displays from all 32 inaugural teams that played in
that first edition and around them, interactive touch screens.
You can dive into each team's legends, their history.
So it's literally connecting thedeep past with FIFA's newest,
(08:16):
shiniest commercial product. Exactly.
It makes sure you're constantly bridging that history with the
organization's current business endeavors.
OK, from that splash of color, we move to the timeline.
This sounds more, well, linear, grounding it in history.
Yeah, the timeline is this substantial 13 meter long
journey. It traces the history, starting
(08:37):
conceptually in the British Isles and then charting how it
just exploded across the globe. How does it show that growth?
It uses the specific dates that each member association joined
FIFA, so you visually see the game spreading continent by
continent. And within that history, there's
the evolution of the rules themselves, right?
The Laws of the. Game yeah, and this is a really
profound detail. I think timeline charts how we
(08:59):
went from the original 13 laws to the current 17, and a little
note next to it says something like and not a single sentence
remains unaltered. Think about that.
It highlights both how enduring the basic structure is, but also
how much constant tweaking and adaptation was needed.
It also marks all the major tournament milestones.
FA Cup way back in 1871, Copa America in 1916, all the World
(09:23):
Cups, men's and women's. OK, so from that big sweep of
history we then go into what thesource is called the smallest
room, yet one of the most significant the foundations.
This must be the core story of FIFA itself.
It really is the organizational bedrock.
This room tells the origin story.
FIFA's Creation Nineteen O 4. The Vision of the Founders.
(09:44):
The Original 10 Articles of the Statutes.
But how does it connect that like humble start in 19 O 4 to
the multibillion dollar giant FIFA is today?
Strategically, the room's built around these six pillars.
Each one details a different area of FIFA's work.
Now, development, sustainability, all that stuff,
right? And these pillars are anchored
by this giant interactive world map.
(10:06):
But the real tell, the strategicbit, is the star exhibit they
chose for this room, which is it's the first minute book of
the IFAB, the International Football Association board,
dating from 1886. 1886 but FIFA wasn't founded until 19 O 4 so
why should the IFA back here? That's the clever part.
It establishes historical precedence, right by showcasing
the IFEB book, which has the earliest records of changes to
(10:30):
the laws of the game. The museum implicitly positions
FIFA not just as the body founded in 19 O 4 as the
institutional inheritor, the guardian of football's deepest,
most fundamental rules, stretching back even before FIFA
itself existed. It kind of elevates their
authority to being the perpetualcustodians of the sports
(10:50):
essence. Very smart.
OK, now we get to the big one. The FIFA World Cup Gallery, The
beating heart dedicated to the biggest prizes.
This is where the emotion reallyhits for most fans.
I think it's the largest room and importantly it gives equal
weight to the history of both the men's World Cup and the FIFA
Women's World Cup. And the history comes alive
through the objects. Oh yeah, phenomenal stuff.
(11:10):
Really specific, tangible things.
Like what gives us highlights? OK, you've got incredibly rare
pieces, like a shirt from the very first men's final in 1930,
Uruguay. On the men's side, there's
Pele's tracksuit from 1958. Crucially for the women's game,
they've got the actual kit and the gold medal worn by April
Heinrichs. The US captain.
(11:31):
Yeah, the first player ever to lift the Women's World Cup
trophy back in 1991. These artifacts connect those
huge global moments to specific people, specific achievements.
And the trophies themselves? The actual World Cup.
They're there, the crown jewels.You are literally face to face
with both the current FIFA WorldCup trophy, the one that debuted
(11:51):
in 74 after Brazil kept the jewels rim at and the FIFA
Women's World Cup trophy, which dates from 1999.
Just being in the same room as those objects.
It has this almost magnetic polefor fans.
OK, last stop on this floor before heading upstairs.
The emotional peak, the cinema and the Curva Nord.
Yeah, the designers definitely knew how to structure the
experience. The cinema uses this unique 180°
(12:14):
screen, totally immersive. What is the show?
2 main short films. The final, which is just pure
electrifying footage for men's World Cup finals and the Path of
Champions which follows teams through every single women's
World Cup. It's designed to just wash over
you with nostalgia, shared emotion.
And the seating area around it, the curve in Nord that makes it
physical. It's.
(12:34):
The Genius touch. It's named after famous fan
stands, but the seats are actualphysical seats taken from
stadiums that hosted great WorldCup moments.
No way. Like which ones?
Imagine sitting in the seat fromWembley 66 or Munich's Olympia
Stadium 74 or Greenpoint Stadiumin Cape Town 2010.
(12:54):
You're not just watching history, you're literally
sitting in it. You're channeling the energy of
those places. That physical connection just
hammers home the emotional storythe museum wants to tell.
OK, so the museum clearly takes you chronologically from the
foundations, the history up to the modern game and today.
Today, football is as much on a screen as on a pitch, right?
Exactly. Which is why the exhibition E
(13:15):
Football, the Virtual Pitch, is so essential to what the museum
is doing now. It explicitly acknowledges how
blurred that line between simulation and reality has
become. So it embraces the virtual side.
Totally. The exhibit basically says,
look, modern tech has turned millions of living rooms into
virtual pitches. That's a whole new dimension of
(13:36):
global football culture and we need to recognize it.
How do they show the evolution of the virtual game itself,
which is, you know, relatively short but explosive?
They focus on how it looked and felt.
The display tracks how footballers appeared in the
games over time, from like basicpixels to the hyper realistic
models we see now. Any interactive stuff there?
(13:56):
Yeah, there's this immersive video installation where you can
virtually celebrate scoring a goal alongside the digital
stars. It kind of validates that
virtual fandom as a legit part of the whole football culture.
And it treats the competitive side E sports seriously, not
just as kids playing games. Oh fully legitimizes it.
The exhibit covers FIFA games, Efootball tournaments, showing
(14:18):
how they're a key part of the global E sports landscape.
Now you've got individual players, sponsored teams, even
official national E teams. Wow.
And to really drive home the prestige, the biggest prize in
that virtual world, the FIFA World Cup trophy, is there.
You can take a selfie with it, including that shows the museum
(14:38):
gets that governing modern football means embracing this
competitive virtual layer, too. It sounds like they do a good
job balancing the serious history with, you know, the fun
fan experience and the very lastthing before you leave.
It seems designed for participation.
Yeah, that's the unique finale. The pinball.
It's brilliant actually, A mix of high tech gadgetry and actual
(15:00):
football skill. How does it work?
You step up, test your own talent with a real football
across 5 different skill challenges, right?
You use this multi ball feature.Try to rack up points.
Get your name on the leaderboard.
So it's a literal way to like, measure yourself against the
talent the whole museum celebrate.
Exactly one last bit of fun interactive competition before
you head out. OK, so we have the history, the
glory, the virtual game, the funinteraction.
(15:22):
It sounds like a pretty comprehensive experience and
clearly working if we think backto those visitor numbers.
Right. The permanent collection is the
anchor. But what keeps the museum
feeling fresh, dynamic is its commitment to temporary special
exhibitions. They tie into what's happening
now. OK, so let's look at 2024, what
kind of temporary stuff that they put on to show that
(15:45):
commitment to being current? Well, they kept things pretty
topical. There was the Making of a foot
taller, photographs of youthful dreams which looked at, you
know, aspiring players, journeys.
They had a specific pop up for FIFA's 120th anniversary, a big
milestone for the organization. And they explored how football
hits a pop culture with footballfever.
(16:06):
Play, compete, repeat. That looked at like merchandise,
music, that kind of thing. And there seems to be a really
clear, ongoing effort to boost the women's game within the
museum too. Definitely, that commitment is
visible. They did a significant expansion
of the FIFA Women's World Cup showcases within the main
collection, and they backed it up powerfully by bringing in
Legends for the launch for Mia from Brazil and Kristen Aran's
(16:30):
from Norway, Ariana Hinks from Germany.
Having those pioneers there connects the artifacts to the
actual people. It's vital work.
We touched on the mission statement mentioning education,
their outreach to schools, students.
That seems like a big priority for building future audiences.
It absolutely is. They welcomed a record number of
students last year over 8000. 8000 students.
Yeah, through dedicated stuff like student specific audio
(16:52):
guides, workshops designed to fit school curriculums, special
tours. It's proactive educational
outreach, A long term investmentreally, to make sure future
generations engage with football's history through their
official lens. Looking ahead, they're planning
a big football summer in Zurich,tying the museum directly to
current tournaments. Yeah, that dual focus is clever.
(17:14):
This summer is going to celebrate 2 massive events
simultaneously, the new FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and the UEFA
Women's EUR 2025. They're hosting live screenings
for fans right there at the museum and importantly, 2
separate pop up exhibitions, each dedicated to one of those
specific tournaments. It keeps the museum relevant, a
(17:34):
hub for celebrating the contemporary game, both men's
and women's. OK, this brings us to a real
deep dive into technology. Their newest special exhibition
running from October 2025 developed closely with FIFA
Innovation. It's called Innovation in Action
Football technologies on and offthe pitch.
Yeah, this is where FIFA really showcases its role as like a
(17:58):
technological enabler for the game.
The goal of this big six month exhibition is very specific,
which is to show how technology supports skill, improves
fairness, makes the experience better for fans and players.
But, and this is the critical part, without replacing the
human emotion, the human judgment that's so central to
football. So tech as an enhancement, not a
(18:18):
takeover. Exactly.
That's the narrative they're pushing.
How do they break down this hugetopic?
It seems pretty systematic. Yeah, they use 5 core themes to
structure it. Makes it easier to grasp.
OK, what are they? First, broadcasting and media,
how we watch the game. Second, intelligent data,
performance analytics, All that 3rd, refereeing and fairplay,
(18:39):
VAR, goal line tech integrity. 4th Staging the game, logistics,
stadiums, pitch tech, and finally an innovation lab.
Innovation Lab, What's that? That's the forward-looking bit.
It's where visitors can actuallypropose their own ideas for how
Tech could shape the future of football.
Cool, but the really fascinatingpart sounds like the hands on
experiences putting you, the visitor, in the shoes of the
(19:02):
professionals. Yeah, that interactivity is key.
Yeah, take the refereeing and fair play part.
You can literally step into a mock up of a referee review
area, basically AVAR booth. Seriously.
Yeah. And you get to make a call
yourself based on the video replay.
You learn how the real refereeing teams use the tech
for fast, accurate decisions andhow they try to keep it
transparent. Gives you a taste of the
(19:23):
pressure. Wow, in the broadcasting and
media section, What do you do there?
You get to play broadcast director managing the pressure
of cutting live footage from multiple cameras during a match
simulation. Sounds stressful.
Totally, and that experience also traces the whole evolution
from early radio commentary and the few cameras at the 54 World
Cup right up to today's crazy complex 4K streaming productions
(19:47):
with dedicated apps. It shows just how much that
visual narrative, which FIFA largely controls, has grown.
And the intelligent data section.
How do they make complex stats relatable?
That's the challenge, right? They let you step into an
analyst role. You learn how they track player
movements in real time. You explore how pitches are
tested to meet standards. You look at bio mechanics.
(20:08):
It just pulls back the curtain on the sheer level of science
involved at the top level now. OK, but abstract tech can be
DRY. How do they make it real
tangible artifacts? Yeah, they use really specific
functional objects. Yeah, great examples.
Give us one. OK so you can explore the FIFA
Player app. This is a real tool pros you
use. Specifically, you can look at
say, Cole Palmers personal performance stats from the FIFA
(20:29):
Club World Cup 2025 final. Cole Palmers actual stats.
Yeah, it shows exactly how that complex individual data gets
packaged and sent straight to players to help them improve,
manage recovery, everything. That's incredible detail.
What about using data for tactics?
Fantastic example of this. It's actually pretty low tech
but high impact. They have Canada goalkeeper
(20:51):
Caitlin Sheridan's water bottle from the FIFA Women's World Cup
2023. For a water bottle.
Yeah, because it's marked up with penalty statistics for the
opposition player she might face.
No way. Yeah, it shows how data gets
turned into this practical tactical tool right there on the
sideline using crunch moments like a shootout.
(21:11):
Amazing. And for officiating tech,
something cutting edge. This one's really innovative.
They have the actual headset mounted body camera worn by a
referee during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
The Refcam. Yeah, that was the first time
those were officially tested in a FIFA tournament.
It gives you and officials reviewing later this completely
new visceral perspective on whatit's like to be in the middle of
(21:33):
the action. The intensity shows FIFA pushing
the boundaries on real time visual tech.
We've seen how the museum is really pushing the new FIFA Club
World Cup 2025. There's that pop up exhibition
running all summer. This tournament is obviously a
huge piece of FIFA's future strategy.
Oh absolutely, the Pop up gives you an exclusive look at this
(21:53):
new flagship competition. 32 clubs, the final in the US where
Chelsea beat PSG. Key exhibits are things like the
original match ball and crucially, the brand new trophy
itself. Let's talk about that new
trophy. It seems like they tried hard to
embed it with a sense of historyright from the start.
That's spot on. The display shows the original
concept drawings. You see the innovative
(22:14):
structure, rotating parts, multilingual engravings, the key
detail? What's that?
The base of the trophy is engraved with the 13 original
laws of the game. Connecting it back.
Deliberately, it's a design choice to link this very modern,
very commercial, some would say showbiz tournament directly back
to the sports foundational statutes trying to give it
(22:34):
instant legitimacy, you know? OK, so the museum is putting
immense effort into celebrating and legitimizing the modern
game, especially FIFA's role in it.
But this is where we have to bring in the other side, right?
The external critique, the argument that this whole
curation isn't exactly objectivehistory.
This is the vital counterpoint. Yeah, there's a significant
(22:57):
critique out there in historicaland journalistic circles that
basically labels the museum a master class in reputational
whitewashing. Strong words.
Very. And it forces us and you the
listener, to ask, OK, what does a powerful institution choose to
minimize or even ignore, not just what does it choose to
celebrate? So what are the core
(23:17):
allegations? What does this critique say?
The museum downplays? The central argument is that the
museum heavily emphasizes FIFA'ssuccess in staging the spectacle
of World Cups right the amazing global events.
Yeah, the positive stuff. While strategically minimizing
the really complex, uncomfortable issues.
We're talking about the massive bribery scandals that have
rocked FIFA over the years. Right, the corruption.
(23:39):
The human rights records of recent controversial host
nations like Russia and particularly Qatar, and the
specific details around the thousands of migrant worker
deaths connected to building theinfrastructure for the Qatar
World Cup, the critique says these huge issues are often just
glossed over or omitted entirely.
And the new Club World Cup 2025,the one the museum features so
(24:00):
heavily that tournament itself got a lot of Flack when it
launched, Didn't. It it did right away, critics
jumped on the motivation, calling it profit seeking,
pointing at the massive strain it puts on player schedules,
which are already packed. And some of the showbiz
elements, like those really longindividual player walk ONS
before the final, got slammed asbeing this transparent, maybe
(24:21):
slightly cringy attempt to capture the American market,
prioritizing spectacle over perhaps sporting tradition.
There's also a very specific anecdote involving Gianni
Infantino, the current president, that critics use to
highlight how political things can get.
Yeah, the critique points to what it calls Infantino's
collaboration and even sycophancy towards Donald Trump
(24:42):
around that US hosted final. What happened?
Well, days before the final, FIFA announced they were opening
a new office in Trump Tower. OK.
And furthermore, the critique alleges, and this is an
allegation, that after the tournament, Infantino let Trump
keep the original Club World Cuptrophy in the Oval Office four
months before the tournament even happened, meaning a replica
(25:04):
had to be commissioned for the actual winners.
Seriously. If true, it's a pretty stark
example of commercial goals and high level political glad
handing intersecting. Again, presented as critique,
not established fact in all details, but it's out there.
OK, let's look at specific historical moments.
Critics say the museum handles selectively the 1934 World Cup
(25:25):
in Mussolini's Italy. The museum does mention it was
staged and won by Italy against a backdrop of Mussolini's
fascist propaganda. That part's accurate.
But the critique points out, themuseum doesn't say who awarded
the tournament to Fascist Italy in the first place, or whether
there were any internal debates or protests at the time about
Mussolini using it so blatantly for propaganda.
(25:48):
The focus is on the backdrop, not FIFA's own decision making
within that backdrop. What about 1978, The Argentina
World Cup under the military dictatorship?
Another dark moment. Yeah, this is a powerful example
of how focus can shape the story.
The exhibit does briefly note protests happened during the
tournament about the disappearance of thousands.
(26:09):
Of people, briefly. But then the focus immediately
shifts to the euphoric mood in the country, the famous ticker
tape celebrations when Argentinawon.
What the critique says is devastatingly omitted is the
fact that political prisoners being held and tortured in a
secret detention center right near the stadium could actually
hear the crowd roaring. When Argentina won, it turned a
(26:30):
sporting moment into this horrific propaganda win for a
regime committing atrocities. That context is missing,
according to the critics. Wow.
The critique also hits the museum for not being upfront
about its own controversial presidents.
Yeah, this is a major gap. Historians argue little real
critical analysis of figures like Sepp Blatter, obviously, or
(26:51):
Sir Stanley Rowas before him. Rogues, for example, backed
apartheid South Africa's football team and he insisted
the USSR play a World Cup qualifier against Chile in
Santiago's national stadium. When, right after the Pinochet
coup, when that very stadium wasbeing used to hold and torture
political prisoners, Rebus demanded the match go ahead
(27:12):
there. And the museum.
According to the critique, you don't really get that depth.
The suggestion is if you really want to learn about these
controversial decisions and figures, you often have to like,
buy a specific history book in the gift shop.
It's not integrated into the main exhibits.
And the final irony? Perhaps the museum project
itself faced its own financial scandal.
Yeah, there's that shadow right from the start.
(27:33):
Back in 2020, FIFA actually launched legal action against
bladder over the museum project itself.
The cost was enormous, like CHF 500 million.
Half a billion Swiss francs, yeah.
FIFA alleged suspected criminal mismanagement, so the costs were
way too high. The rent deal was bad for 30
years. Renovation costs ballooned,
(27:55):
basically claiming officials were misled about whether it
could ever pay for itself. What happened with those
charges? Ultimately, the specific
criminal charges against bladderrelated to the museum were
dismissed by the Zurich prosecutor in 2023.
But the controversy itself, the questions about the huge cost in
the initial management, that definitely happened, and it's
part of the museum's own back story.
(28:16):
So, OK, we have this serious, detailed critique about
omissions, about framing. Yet the museum is incredibly
popular. Hundreds of thousands visit.
How do those two things square up?
Well, that enduring popularity kind of highlights the tension
we've been talking about, right?The critique concludes that
despite the alleged whitewashingthe museum works, it remains
enjoyable, powerful because the artifacts themselves has such
(28:39):
emotional weight. The actual objects, yeah.
The original 74 World Cup trophy, Gaza's yellow card from
Italia 90, the fun stuff like the pinball, the sheer magic and
nostalgia of the game itself often overrides the
organizational controversies. For many visitors.
It proves FIFA still has this huge, if captive, audience whose
(29:00):
main connection is just pure passion for football.
Wow, This has been a real exploration.
We've really unpacked a museum that's, on the one hand,
aggressively expanding globally,pouring money into tech and
interactive exhibits to tell this celebratory story, and on
the other hand, it's navigating or maybe avoiding a really
complex history full of institutional scandal and
(29:21):
political issues. And that tension, that's the
core take away. I think the museum succeeds
wildly in terms of visitors because it taps right into that
genuine nostalgia, the joy, the deep emotional connection that
you, the fan, have with football.
It presents history as this continuous, ultimately
triumphant story of shared passion.
So if the museum provides the magic, the spectacle, what's our
(29:42):
role as someone listening to this, trying to be an informed
observer? Well, the key question for you,
the learner, is this. When history is curated, and it
is curated, whether by FIFA or any powerful institution, how do
you balance that magic, the wonder of the number of Bilia,
the genuine goosebump moments, with the full, sometimes messy,
complicated truth of how that magic is actually delivered,
(30:05):
managed, and paid for institutionally?
You have to bring your own critical thinking to every
display, every narrative. That really is the deep dive,
indeed. And maybe a final thought, if
the museum's cool new tech lets us step into the shoes of the
broadcast director or the data analyst or even the VAR referee,
what mental tools, what let's call it, historical technology,
(30:27):
do we need to step into the shoes of the objective historian
or the critical observer? How do we make sure we see not
just the glory on the pitch, butalso understand the governance,
the power, and the politics behind it all?
That's the essential challenge, I think, whenever we consume
history presented by power.
Get ready. Today we are not just talking
about a sport. We are talking about, well, the
largest, most pervasive and mostpassion fueled cultural
phenomenon on the planet, football.
And we are diving deep into the institution that attempts to
capture all of it. The history, the glory, the
tech. And yeah, the controversy, too.
(00:22):
We're stepping inside the FIFA Museum.
It's, you know, this remarkable place in Zurich, but its
ambition is truly global. Our mission today really is to
unpack this entire operation foryou.
We're talking the immense scale,physical and digital presence,
the incredible artifacts. Yeah.
Yeah, the actual objects. But also, crucially, the
specific choices it makes, the curatorial choices when it
(00:45):
presents football's pretty complicated history.
Back to you, the fan. So this is a deep dive into that
like tension between the magic of the game we all love and the
hard business, the sometimes messy business of managing that
game globally. If you want a shortcut to
understanding how the biggest governing body in world sport
frames its own story, well, let's unpack this global
(01:06):
powerhouse. OK, let's start with just the
sheer scale. The Zurich headquarters, right?
The numbers alone suggest this isn't some, you know, niche
little collection. It feels like a major global
draw. Oh, it absolutely is.
The Zurich place, yeah, that's the home base.
Physically, ideologically. And get this, They've surpassed
their visitor targets for the second year running.
(01:27):
Wow. OK, what are we talking number
wise? Over 250,000 visitors in 2024
alone. So think about that. 1/4 of a
million people. That's huge.
It's not just high traffic, it shows they can consistently pull
people, international visitors to Switzerland specifically for
this football history experience.
And that success in Zurich, it seems like it's really fueled
(01:49):
this, I don't know, aggressive international expansion strategy
that feels like the really critical recent development.
It is. I mean, their goal is clearly to
embed the museum's brand in key global football markets.
They're not just staying put. So outside Switzerland, what
happened in 2024? Well, they managed to attract
over 100,000 fans to exhibitionsand activations outside of
(02:11):
Switzerland. OK, 100,000 more.
Yeah, which says a lot about their ability to like, take the
show on the road, you know, and their commitment to not just
being Zurich centric. Let's dig into that
international reach. Europe first.
Where did they plant that first permanent flag?
Outside Switzerland. That was Madrid.
A massive strategic move really.It launched back in June 2023
(02:32):
and it's branded as the FIFA Museum at Legends Experience.
Madrid Choosing Madrid, Well, it's obviously strategic, right?
Huge football city, deep history.
Makes sense? And the collaboration with
Legends, it shows their leveraging partners, existing
cultural places rather than, youknow, building everything from
scratch every time. Smart.
(02:53):
And then the Americas. That feels equally significant,
especially with the 2026 World Cup coming up in North America.
Miami's next. Miami's huge.
Yeah, They're gearing up to opena new permanent exhibition
there. It's in Miami's iconic Freedom
Tower. Freedom Tower.
Wow. Summer 2025 is the target and
putting it there in that building, I mean, it positions
(03:15):
the museum right at this intersection of like
international trade, finance, culture in the US.
And the timing just before the World Cup.
Exactly. It clearly signals they want to
capture and maybe, you know, inform that massive US audience
about the game's deep history just as the biggest tournament
ever hits the region. But it's not just about the
buildings, the real estate. It seems like there's a focus on
(03:37):
like educational routes to academia.
Yeah, that's the sort of sophisticated layer to the
strategy. I think alongside the Miami
launch, they've set up this key partnership with Miami-Dade
College developing educational projects together.
So it's about integrating into academia, aiming for, you know,
longevity and credibility beyondjust being a tourist and.
We saw that already. In the first signs were their
(03:59):
participation in the Miami book fair.
They centered their discussion there on football's broader
cultural impact. It's sociology.
It suggests a long term goal, right?
Become not just a place with stuff, but like a cultural
authority on the game. OK, let's shift gears.
The digital side, the scale there sounds equally, maybe even
(04:19):
more mind boggling. They're reaching millions who
might never get to Zurich or Miami.
Oh, their digital dominance is undeniable.
Get this 7.8 million engagementsacross their social media
platforms in 2024. 7.8 million, yeah.
Think about that, that 7.8 million times someone somewhere
(04:40):
is actively interacting with content.
The museum provides educational,cultural, historical stuff.
Their total digital community, it's now over 1,000,000
followers. It just proves the appetite for
the history and the culture of football is massive, totally
separate from just watching the live games.
And they're doing cool things with digital products too,
right? Making exclusive stuff available
globally. Precisely like they took the
(05:01):
first FIFA World Cup virtual reality experience that used to
be only if you went to Zurich. Right, I remember that.
Now they've released it as an athome version.
Anyone with the gear can access it.
That's critical, like democratizes that really
immersive historical experience.Yeah.
It's a shift from, you know, keeping it behind the museum
walls to spreading it digitally.So if we pull all this together,
(05:24):
the visitors, the expansion, thedigital numbers, what's the big
picture from the leadership? What's the managing director
Marco Fazon saying is the goal behind all this huge effort?
Well, Fazon's statement is pretty clear.
He's exceeding those targets. Visitor and digital shows an
unwavering commitment to showcasing football's rich
history and culture. OK, standard stuff.
Yeah, but the overall goal is defined as education and
(05:46):
inspiration through the magic offootball.
What's interesting is how they measure success.
It's not just about money. It's global engagement,
educational integration. It frames the museum, not it's
just a passive display case, butit's like an active expanding
cultural agent for FIFA. OK, so we've got this picture of
massive global reach, huge expansion plans.
(06:08):
Let's now walk inside the home base in Zurich.
How do they translate that global scale into what you
actually see and feel there? Right.
Well, the moment you step inside, they hit you with the
global nature of the game. How so?
The entrance uses these big multilingual video screens.
They show football being played everywhere, fancy stadiums,
remote gusty pitches, you name it.
(06:29):
Diversity is key. And language.
Instantly, you're offered a freeaudio guide, available in eight
languages. Straight away, the message is
wherever you're from, this history is your history too.
It's about accessibility. OK, let's get into the specific
rooms, the exhibits, starting with maybe the most visually
striking 1 the rainbow. The rainbow.
(06:50):
Yeah, it's a 35m long display. Just breathtaking, honestly.
It's designed purely to celebrate the global appeal, the
universality of football. And it does that with.
Jerseys Official jerseys from all 211 FIFA member
associations. Every single one.
All 211. Wow.
But what's really clever here, apparently, is how they're
arranged. It's not by rank or
alphabetically. Exactly.
(07:11):
That's the crucial curatorial choice.
They could have ranked them right, put the World Cup winners
at the front. But no.
So how are they arranged? Purely by color, they form this
seamless, vibrant spectrum. It's subtly deprioritizes the
whole competitive hierarchy thatFIFA, you know, normally
governs. Interesting.
So it creates a different narrative.
(07:31):
Totally a narrative of inclusion, shared passion, like
the game belongs to everyone regardless of rank.
It's a quiet, but I think powerful statement.
But even in this space celebrating Unity, they still
managed to connect it to the themodern, commercial side of the
game. Oh.
Absolutely. The rainbow isn't just the
historical jerseys, it has this outer ring.
(07:53):
OK, that outer ring pays direct tribute to the brand new
tournament, the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
The Controversial 1. Well, yeah.
It displays from all 32 inaugural teams that played in
that first edition and around them, interactive touch screens.
You can dive into each team's legends, their history.
So it's literally connecting thedeep past with FIFA's newest,
(08:16):
shiniest commercial product. Exactly.
It makes sure you're constantly bridging that history with the
organization's current business endeavors.
OK, from that splash of color, we move to the timeline.
This sounds more, well, linear, grounding it in history.
Yeah, the timeline is this substantial 13 meter long
journey. It traces the history, starting
(08:37):
conceptually in the British Isles and then charting how it
just exploded across the globe. How does it show that growth?
It uses the specific dates that each member association joined
FIFA, so you visually see the game spreading continent by
continent. And within that history, there's
the evolution of the rules themselves, right?
The Laws of the. Game yeah, and this is a really
profound detail. I think timeline charts how we
(08:59):
went from the original 13 laws to the current 17, and a little
note next to it says something like and not a single sentence
remains unaltered. Think about that.
It highlights both how enduring the basic structure is, but also
how much constant tweaking and adaptation was needed.
It also marks all the major tournament milestones.
FA Cup way back in 1871, Copa America in 1916, all the World
(09:23):
Cups, men's and women's. OK, so from that big sweep of
history we then go into what thesource is called the smallest
room, yet one of the most significant the foundations.
This must be the core story of FIFA itself.
It really is the organizational bedrock.
This room tells the origin story.
FIFA's Creation Nineteen O 4. The Vision of the Founders.
(09:44):
The Original 10 Articles of the Statutes.
But how does it connect that like humble start in 19 O 4 to
the multibillion dollar giant FIFA is today?
Strategically, the room's built around these six pillars.
Each one details a different area of FIFA's work.
Now, development, sustainability, all that stuff,
right? And these pillars are anchored
by this giant interactive world map.
(10:06):
But the real tell, the strategicbit, is the star exhibit they
chose for this room, which is it's the first minute book of
the IFAB, the International Football Association board,
dating from 1886. 1886 but FIFA wasn't founded until 19 O 4 so
why should the IFA back here? That's the clever part.
It establishes historical precedence, right by showcasing
the IFEB book, which has the earliest records of changes to
(10:30):
the laws of the game. The museum implicitly positions
FIFA not just as the body founded in 19 O 4 as the
institutional inheritor, the guardian of football's deepest,
most fundamental rules, stretching back even before FIFA
itself existed. It kind of elevates their
authority to being the perpetualcustodians of the sports
(10:50):
essence. Very smart.
OK, now we get to the big one. The FIFA World Cup Gallery, The
beating heart dedicated to the biggest prizes.
This is where the emotion reallyhits for most fans.
I think it's the largest room and importantly it gives equal
weight to the history of both the men's World Cup and the FIFA
Women's World Cup. And the history comes alive
through the objects. Oh yeah, phenomenal stuff.
(11:10):
Really specific, tangible things.
Like what gives us highlights? OK, you've got incredibly rare
pieces, like a shirt from the very first men's final in 1930,
Uruguay. On the men's side, there's
Pele's tracksuit from 1958. Crucially for the women's game,
they've got the actual kit and the gold medal worn by April
Heinrichs. The US captain.
(11:31):
Yeah, the first player ever to lift the Women's World Cup
trophy back in 1991. These artifacts connect those
huge global moments to specific people, specific achievements.
And the trophies themselves? The actual World Cup.
They're there, the crown jewels.You are literally face to face
with both the current FIFA WorldCup trophy, the one that debuted
(11:51):
in 74 after Brazil kept the jewels rim at and the FIFA
Women's World Cup trophy, which dates from 1999.
Just being in the same room as those objects.
It has this almost magnetic polefor fans.
OK, last stop on this floor before heading upstairs.
The emotional peak, the cinema and the Curva Nord.
Yeah, the designers definitely knew how to structure the
experience. The cinema uses this unique 180°
(12:14):
screen, totally immersive. What is the show?
2 main short films. The final, which is just pure
electrifying footage for men's World Cup finals and the Path of
Champions which follows teams through every single women's
World Cup. It's designed to just wash over
you with nostalgia, shared emotion.
And the seating area around it, the curve in Nord that makes it
physical. It's.
(12:34):
The Genius touch. It's named after famous fan
stands, but the seats are actualphysical seats taken from
stadiums that hosted great WorldCup moments.
No way. Like which ones?
Imagine sitting in the seat fromWembley 66 or Munich's Olympia
Stadium 74 or Greenpoint Stadiumin Cape Town 2010.
(12:54):
You're not just watching history, you're literally
sitting in it. You're channeling the energy of
those places. That physical connection just
hammers home the emotional storythe museum wants to tell.
OK, so the museum clearly takes you chronologically from the
foundations, the history up to the modern game and today.
Today, football is as much on a screen as on a pitch, right?
Exactly. Which is why the exhibition E
(13:15):
Football, the Virtual Pitch, is so essential to what the museum
is doing now. It explicitly acknowledges how
blurred that line between simulation and reality has
become. So it embraces the virtual side.
Totally. The exhibit basically says,
look, modern tech has turned millions of living rooms into
virtual pitches. That's a whole new dimension of
(13:36):
global football culture and we need to recognize it.
How do they show the evolution of the virtual game itself,
which is, you know, relatively short but explosive?
They focus on how it looked and felt.
The display tracks how footballers appeared in the
games over time, from like basicpixels to the hyper realistic
models we see now. Any interactive stuff there?
(13:56):
Yeah, there's this immersive video installation where you can
virtually celebrate scoring a goal alongside the digital
stars. It kind of validates that
virtual fandom as a legit part of the whole football culture.
And it treats the competitive side E sports seriously, not
just as kids playing games. Oh fully legitimizes it.
The exhibit covers FIFA games, Efootball tournaments, showing
(14:18):
how they're a key part of the global E sports landscape.
Now you've got individual players, sponsored teams, even
official national E teams. Wow.
And to really drive home the prestige, the biggest prize in
that virtual world, the FIFA World Cup trophy, is there.
You can take a selfie with it, including that shows the museum
(14:38):
gets that governing modern football means embracing this
competitive virtual layer, too. It sounds like they do a good
job balancing the serious history with, you know, the fun
fan experience and the very lastthing before you leave.
It seems designed for participation.
Yeah, that's the unique finale. The pinball.
It's brilliant actually, A mix of high tech gadgetry and actual
(15:00):
football skill. How does it work?
You step up, test your own talent with a real football
across 5 different skill challenges, right?
You use this multi ball feature.Try to rack up points.
Get your name on the leaderboard.
So it's a literal way to like, measure yourself against the
talent the whole museum celebrate.
Exactly one last bit of fun interactive competition before
you head out. OK, so we have the history, the
glory, the virtual game, the funinteraction.
(15:22):
It sounds like a pretty comprehensive experience and
clearly working if we think backto those visitor numbers.
Right. The permanent collection is the
anchor. But what keeps the museum
feeling fresh, dynamic is its commitment to temporary special
exhibitions. They tie into what's happening
now. OK, so let's look at 2024, what
kind of temporary stuff that they put on to show that
(15:45):
commitment to being current? Well, they kept things pretty
topical. There was the Making of a foot
taller, photographs of youthful dreams which looked at, you
know, aspiring players, journeys.
They had a specific pop up for FIFA's 120th anniversary, a big
milestone for the organization. And they explored how football
hits a pop culture with footballfever.
(16:06):
Play, compete, repeat. That looked at like merchandise,
music, that kind of thing. And there seems to be a really
clear, ongoing effort to boost the women's game within the
museum too. Definitely, that commitment is
visible. They did a significant expansion
of the FIFA Women's World Cup showcases within the main
collection, and they backed it up powerfully by bringing in
Legends for the launch for Mia from Brazil and Kristen Aran's
(16:30):
from Norway, Ariana Hinks from Germany.
Having those pioneers there connects the artifacts to the
actual people. It's vital work.
We touched on the mission statement mentioning education,
their outreach to schools, students.
That seems like a big priority for building future audiences.
It absolutely is. They welcomed a record number of
students last year over 8000. 8000 students.
Yeah, through dedicated stuff like student specific audio
(16:52):
guides, workshops designed to fit school curriculums, special
tours. It's proactive educational
outreach, A long term investmentreally, to make sure future
generations engage with football's history through their
official lens. Looking ahead, they're planning
a big football summer in Zurich,tying the museum directly to
current tournaments. Yeah, that dual focus is clever.
(17:14):
This summer is going to celebrate 2 massive events
simultaneously, the new FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and the UEFA
Women's EUR 2025. They're hosting live screenings
for fans right there at the museum and importantly, 2
separate pop up exhibitions, each dedicated to one of those
specific tournaments. It keeps the museum relevant, a
(17:34):
hub for celebrating the contemporary game, both men's
and women's. OK, this brings us to a real
deep dive into technology. Their newest special exhibition
running from October 2025 developed closely with FIFA
Innovation. It's called Innovation in Action
Football technologies on and offthe pitch.
Yeah, this is where FIFA really showcases its role as like a
(17:58):
technological enabler for the game.
The goal of this big six month exhibition is very specific,
which is to show how technology supports skill, improves
fairness, makes the experience better for fans and players.
But, and this is the critical part, without replacing the
human emotion, the human judgment that's so central to
football. So tech as an enhancement, not a
(18:18):
takeover. Exactly.
That's the narrative they're pushing.
How do they break down this hugetopic?
It seems pretty systematic. Yeah, they use 5 core themes to
structure it. Makes it easier to grasp.
OK, what are they? First, broadcasting and media,
how we watch the game. Second, intelligent data,
performance analytics, All that 3rd, refereeing and fairplay,
(18:39):
VAR, goal line tech integrity. 4th Staging the game, logistics,
stadiums, pitch tech, and finally an innovation lab.
Innovation Lab, What's that? That's the forward-looking bit.
It's where visitors can actuallypropose their own ideas for how
Tech could shape the future of football.
Cool, but the really fascinatingpart sounds like the hands on
experiences putting you, the visitor, in the shoes of the
(19:02):
professionals. Yeah, that interactivity is key.
Yeah, take the refereeing and fair play part.
You can literally step into a mock up of a referee review
area, basically AVAR booth. Seriously.
Yeah. And you get to make a call
yourself based on the video replay.
You learn how the real refereeing teams use the tech
for fast, accurate decisions andhow they try to keep it
transparent. Gives you a taste of the
(19:23):
pressure. Wow, in the broadcasting and
media section, What do you do there?
You get to play broadcast director managing the pressure
of cutting live footage from multiple cameras during a match
simulation. Sounds stressful.
Totally, and that experience also traces the whole evolution
from early radio commentary and the few cameras at the 54 World
Cup right up to today's crazy complex 4K streaming productions
(19:47):
with dedicated apps. It shows just how much that
visual narrative, which FIFA largely controls, has grown.
And the intelligent data section.
How do they make complex stats relatable?
That's the challenge, right? They let you step into an
analyst role. You learn how they track player
movements in real time. You explore how pitches are
tested to meet standards. You look at bio mechanics.
(20:08):
It just pulls back the curtain on the sheer level of science
involved at the top level now. OK, but abstract tech can be
DRY. How do they make it real
tangible artifacts? Yeah, they use really specific
functional objects. Yeah, great examples.
Give us one. OK so you can explore the FIFA
Player app. This is a real tool pros you
use. Specifically, you can look at
say, Cole Palmers personal performance stats from the FIFA
(20:29):
Club World Cup 2025 final. Cole Palmers actual stats.
Yeah, it shows exactly how that complex individual data gets
packaged and sent straight to players to help them improve,
manage recovery, everything. That's incredible detail.
What about using data for tactics?
Fantastic example of this. It's actually pretty low tech
but high impact. They have Canada goalkeeper
(20:51):
Caitlin Sheridan's water bottle from the FIFA Women's World Cup
2023. For a water bottle.
Yeah, because it's marked up with penalty statistics for the
opposition player she might face.
No way. Yeah, it shows how data gets
turned into this practical tactical tool right there on the
sideline using crunch moments like a shootout.
(21:11):
Amazing. And for officiating tech,
something cutting edge. This one's really innovative.
They have the actual headset mounted body camera worn by a
referee during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
The Refcam. Yeah, that was the first time
those were officially tested in a FIFA tournament.
It gives you and officials reviewing later this completely
new visceral perspective on whatit's like to be in the middle of
(21:33):
the action. The intensity shows FIFA pushing
the boundaries on real time visual tech.
We've seen how the museum is really pushing the new FIFA Club
World Cup 2025. There's that pop up exhibition
running all summer. This tournament is obviously a
huge piece of FIFA's future strategy.
Oh absolutely, the Pop up gives you an exclusive look at this
(21:53):
new flagship competition. 32 clubs, the final in the US where
Chelsea beat PSG. Key exhibits are things like the
original match ball and crucially, the brand new trophy
itself. Let's talk about that new
trophy. It seems like they tried hard to
embed it with a sense of historyright from the start.
That's spot on. The display shows the original
concept drawings. You see the innovative
(22:14):
structure, rotating parts, multilingual engravings, the key
detail? What's that?
The base of the trophy is engraved with the 13 original
laws of the game. Connecting it back.
Deliberately, it's a design choice to link this very modern,
very commercial, some would say showbiz tournament directly back
to the sports foundational statutes trying to give it
(22:34):
instant legitimacy, you know? OK, so the museum is putting
immense effort into celebrating and legitimizing the modern
game, especially FIFA's role in it.
But this is where we have to bring in the other side, right?
The external critique, the argument that this whole
curation isn't exactly objectivehistory.
This is the vital counterpoint. Yeah, there's a significant
(22:57):
critique out there in historicaland journalistic circles that
basically labels the museum a master class in reputational
whitewashing. Strong words.
Very. And it forces us and you the
listener, to ask, OK, what does a powerful institution choose to
minimize or even ignore, not just what does it choose to
celebrate? So what are the core
(23:17):
allegations? What does this critique say?
The museum downplays? The central argument is that the
museum heavily emphasizes FIFA'ssuccess in staging the spectacle
of World Cups right the amazing global events.
Yeah, the positive stuff. While strategically minimizing
the really complex, uncomfortable issues.
We're talking about the massive bribery scandals that have
rocked FIFA over the years. Right, the corruption.
(23:39):
The human rights records of recent controversial host
nations like Russia and particularly Qatar, and the
specific details around the thousands of migrant worker
deaths connected to building theinfrastructure for the Qatar
World Cup, the critique says these huge issues are often just
glossed over or omitted entirely.
And the new Club World Cup 2025,the one the museum features so
(24:00):
heavily that tournament itself got a lot of Flack when it
launched, Didn't. It it did right away, critics
jumped on the motivation, calling it profit seeking,
pointing at the massive strain it puts on player schedules,
which are already packed. And some of the showbiz
elements, like those really longindividual player walk ONS
before the final, got slammed asbeing this transparent, maybe
(24:21):
slightly cringy attempt to capture the American market,
prioritizing spectacle over perhaps sporting tradition.
There's also a very specific anecdote involving Gianni
Infantino, the current president, that critics use to
highlight how political things can get.
Yeah, the critique points to what it calls Infantino's
collaboration and even sycophancy towards Donald Trump
(24:42):
around that US hosted final. What happened?
Well, days before the final, FIFA announced they were opening
a new office in Trump Tower. OK.
And furthermore, the critique alleges, and this is an
allegation, that after the tournament, Infantino let Trump
keep the original Club World Cuptrophy in the Oval Office four
months before the tournament even happened, meaning a replica
(25:04):
had to be commissioned for the actual winners.
Seriously. If true, it's a pretty stark
example of commercial goals and high level political glad
handing intersecting. Again, presented as critique,
not established fact in all details, but it's out there.
OK, let's look at specific historical moments.
Critics say the museum handles selectively the 1934 World Cup
(25:25):
in Mussolini's Italy. The museum does mention it was
staged and won by Italy against a backdrop of Mussolini's
fascist propaganda. That part's accurate.
But the critique points out, themuseum doesn't say who awarded
the tournament to Fascist Italy in the first place, or whether
there were any internal debates or protests at the time about
Mussolini using it so blatantly for propaganda.
(25:48):
The focus is on the backdrop, not FIFA's own decision making
within that backdrop. What about 1978, The Argentina
World Cup under the military dictatorship?
Another dark moment. Yeah, this is a powerful example
of how focus can shape the story.
The exhibit does briefly note protests happened during the
tournament about the disappearance of thousands.
(26:09):
Of people, briefly. But then the focus immediately
shifts to the euphoric mood in the country, the famous ticker
tape celebrations when Argentinawon.
What the critique says is devastatingly omitted is the
fact that political prisoners being held and tortured in a
secret detention center right near the stadium could actually
hear the crowd roaring. When Argentina won, it turned a
(26:30):
sporting moment into this horrific propaganda win for a
regime committing atrocities. That context is missing,
according to the critics. Wow.
The critique also hits the museum for not being upfront
about its own controversial presidents.
Yeah, this is a major gap. Historians argue little real
critical analysis of figures like Sepp Blatter, obviously, or
(26:51):
Sir Stanley Rowas before him. Rogues, for example, backed
apartheid South Africa's football team and he insisted
the USSR play a World Cup qualifier against Chile in
Santiago's national stadium. When, right after the Pinochet
coup, when that very stadium wasbeing used to hold and torture
political prisoners, Rebus demanded the match go ahead
(27:12):
there. And the museum.
According to the critique, you don't really get that depth.
The suggestion is if you really want to learn about these
controversial decisions and figures, you often have to like,
buy a specific history book in the gift shop.
It's not integrated into the main exhibits.
And the final irony? Perhaps the museum project
itself faced its own financial scandal.
Yeah, there's that shadow right from the start.
(27:33):
Back in 2020, FIFA actually launched legal action against
bladder over the museum project itself.
The cost was enormous, like CHF 500 million.
Half a billion Swiss francs, yeah.
FIFA alleged suspected criminal mismanagement, so the costs were
way too high. The rent deal was bad for 30
years. Renovation costs ballooned,
(27:55):
basically claiming officials were misled about whether it
could ever pay for itself. What happened with those
charges? Ultimately, the specific
criminal charges against bladderrelated to the museum were
dismissed by the Zurich prosecutor in 2023.
But the controversy itself, the questions about the huge cost in
the initial management, that definitely happened, and it's
part of the museum's own back story.
(28:16):
So, OK, we have this serious, detailed critique about
omissions, about framing. Yet the museum is incredibly
popular. Hundreds of thousands visit.
How do those two things square up?
Well, that enduring popularity kind of highlights the tension
we've been talking about, right?The critique concludes that
despite the alleged whitewashingthe museum works, it remains
enjoyable, powerful because the artifacts themselves has such
(28:39):
emotional weight. The actual objects, yeah.
The original 74 World Cup trophy, Gaza's yellow card from
Italia 90, the fun stuff like the pinball, the sheer magic and
nostalgia of the game itself often overrides the
organizational controversies. For many visitors.
It proves FIFA still has this huge, if captive, audience whose
(29:00):
main connection is just pure passion for football.
Wow, This has been a real exploration.
We've really unpacked a museum that's, on the one hand,
aggressively expanding globally,pouring money into tech and
interactive exhibits to tell this celebratory story, and on
the other hand, it's navigating or maybe avoiding a really
complex history full of institutional scandal and
(29:21):
political issues. And that tension, that's the
core take away. I think the museum succeeds
wildly in terms of visitors because it taps right into that
genuine nostalgia, the joy, the deep emotional connection that
you, the fan, have with football.
It presents history as this continuous, ultimately
triumphant story of shared passion.
So if the museum provides the magic, the spectacle, what's our
(29:42):
role as someone listening to this, trying to be an informed
observer? Well, the key question for you,
the learner, is this. When history is curated, and it
is curated, whether by FIFA or any powerful institution, how do
you balance that magic, the wonder of the number of Bilia,
the genuine goosebump moments, with the full, sometimes messy,
complicated truth of how that magic is actually delivered,
(30:05):
managed, and paid for institutionally?
You have to bring your own critical thinking to every
display, every narrative. That really is the deep dive,
indeed. And maybe a final thought, if
the museum's cool new tech lets us step into the shoes of the
broadcast director or the data analyst or even the VAR referee,
what mental tools, what let's call it, historical technology,
(30:27):
do we need to step into the shoes of the objective historian
or the critical observer? How do we make sure we see not
just the glory on the pitch, butalso understand the governance,
the power, and the politics behind it all?
That's the essential challenge, I think, whenever we consume
history presented by power.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!