With the US and Saudi Arabia growing in power, Uefa and co must adapt to survive | Philipp Lahm

The organisation of sporting competitions needs reform to put the north and east of the continent back on the map

Europe must realise that the world does what it wants. In politics as in football. Fifa, founded 120 years ago in Paris, is moving to the US. It recently removed Zurich as its headquarters from its statutes and relocated 100 jobs to Miami. And in 2034, the World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia. Europe is now discussing how to deal with guest workers, human rights and democracy.

However, the rest of the world no longer cares about European objections. The power has shifted. We don’t even know what will happen to the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics with the US, our most important ally, under Donald Trump. We need to draw the right conclusions from this. Europe must adapt to survive. It must apply the achievements it demands of others – the rule of law, a rules-based approach, and diversity – to itself.

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