A forgotten sporting lesson has just been taught afresh.  Footballs were expensive in the Dublin of my childhood and not every kid’s parents could bear the cost. So there was just one ball-proprietor in each group playing scratch games in the public parks. With no referee, there was a vital unwritten rule: the ball’s owner had the final say if there were disputes.  The démarche by Uefa has torpedoed Gianni Infantino’s plan to securitise World Cup revenues, financing payoffs to small national associations. The Europeans own the ball. Without European participation, Fifa would never earn the revenues Infantino was seeking…

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