| Like a lot of people who went to elementary school in | | | | by their experience with the Olympics in which the IOC |
| the 1980s, I grew up hearing wondrous tales of what | | | | did not allow England to send its own team, they will |
| the world would look like in the year 2000. Based on | | | | get their act together and kit up a British squad. |
| the fictions spread by my various teachers, we faced | | | | 7. Africa will... wow, who knows? This is the toughest |
| one of two future outcomes: the Soviet Union | | | | one. I have no doubt that Africa will continue to |
| (remember them?) would either trigger a | | | | produce top-tier talent, and I expect that in 50 years |
| thermonuclear war, or we would all be zipping around | | | | most of the top players in the world will come from |
| in jetpacks and flying cars, wearing oddly matching | | | | Africa. The real question, though, is whether Africa can |
| jumpsuits and eating only large pills and colored liquid. | | | | begin to develop leagues that can compete at the |
| Of course, neither of those things happened, and | | | | highest levels and whether their football associations |
| though my car is very much attached to terra firma, | | | | will stop interfering with and destroying their national |
| the intervening years have brought a number of | | | | teams. In the last decade, we have seen he football |
| changes to society, the likes of which nobody would | | | | associations of Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal and Cote |
| have likely predicted in 1984. | | | | d'Ivoire rightfully accused of theft, massive |
| The point, I suppose, is that the prognostication | | | | mismanagement of players, threats of violence, political |
| business is at best a crapshoot, and at worst a | | | | coercion, and utter and complete incompetence on a |
| chance for people to write things that subsequent | | | | scale heretofore unseen in soccer history. To make |
| events will make a mockery of. Soccer is not immune | | | | matters worse, African nations have not dedicated |
| to stupid predictions, as anyone who has followed | | | | themselves to developing their own coaches, do not |
| Pele's occasional commentary in the press knows all | | | | adequately prepare youth, and offer the most shoddy |
| to well. So, wanting to look ahead to the future of | | | | and dilapidated facilities in which to train and play. |
| soccer, but not wanting to expose myself to the | | | | That said, the continent continues to produce fantastic |
| ridicule of being proved wrong, I will look way, way | | | | players, and the march that began with Weah and Milla |
| head to the year 2062, and tell you what the | | | | from Liberia and Cameroon, respectively, continues |
| footballing world will look like in 54 years. I'll be 85 by | | | | with true gems like Drogba, Eto'o, Adebayor, Essien, |
| then, which means I'll either be dead, senile, or so happy | | | | and a bevy of other stars. In the end, the fortunes of |
| that I finally got my flying car that I won't care that I | | | | African soccer will rise or fall with the continent's ability |
| wrote something 54 years ago that makes me sound | | | | or inability to right its economies, to produce wealth, to |
| foolish! If I'm lucky, I would have just seen my 19th | | | | create infrastructure, and to purge its governments, |
| World Cup. So what will 2062 Brian Fobi have seen? | | | | and thereby its football associations, of the kind of |
| 1. England still won't have won another World Cup. At | | | | kleptocratic, nepotistic, and capricious bureaucracy that |
| the close of the 2062 World Cup, England fans will | | | | has ground down the continent's best minds and |
| look forward to the 2066 Cup, knowing that certainly | | | | talents. If the continent can turn itself around, there are |
| fate will be on their side as they stare down the 100th | | | | a least ten nations that have the potential to become |
| anniversary of their last win. England is the | | | | true world soccer powers (Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, |
| consummate quarterfinalist, and can look back at a | | | | Ivory Coast, Senegal, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, |
| hundred years of Ronaldinho goals, Beckham red | | | | Tunisia, and Togo come to mind). If not, then we will |
| cards, Rooney red cards, and Brookyln Beckham red | | | | see what we have seen in the last 25 years: stars |
| cards, and believe that they are jinxed, but the truth is | | | | arise, and every World Cup one or two African |
| that they are just not that good. | | | | nations will impress, but the rest will fall flat. |
| 2. China will still be the next big thing. Based on | | | | 8. The three best leagues in the world will be 1) The |
| everything you read in the news, in 40 years the | | | | Brazilian league, 2) the MLS, and 3) French Ligue 1. |
| Chinese will own, run, manufacture, manage, and | | | | Brazil has increasingly become more sure of itself as a |
| dominate everything. FIFA expects great things from | | | | nation, and as its economy grows, it will produce the |
| China, and certainly between then and now China will | | | | kind of broad and deep wealth capable of supporting |
| host at least one World Cup, but more likely two. The | | | | teams who develop and retain the best players in the |
| Chinese women will continue to do well, but unless a | | | | world. When Santos, Flamengo and Gremio have he |
| great many things change, I don't see China putting | | | | bankroll to prevent players like Kaka, Ronaldinho, or |
| together the kind of league and national youth system | | | | Robinho from leaving, the Brazilian teams will improve |
| necessary to produce 11 world class players. Also, | | | | rapidly and exponentially. As for the MLS, soccer is |
| beware the China bubble. China might continue to | | | | growing steadily and surely in the United States, and |
| grow at 10% for the next 50 years, or we may find | | | | within twenty years or so, the league will be among |
| out that a managed state and economy cannot bear | | | | the best in the world. The United States has a real |
| the burden of its first major economic downturn. That | | | | advantage because, as the world's cultural center, it will |
| discussion is best served in another venue on another | | | | always have a cache and drawing power that other |
| day, but suffice to say that I am not yet sold on | | | | nations cannot match. In other words, once the MLS |
| China's perpetually bright future, and this goes doubly | | | | becomes a viable option, financially and competitively, |
| for football. | | | | with European leagues, the marketing potential and |
| 3. CONMEBOL and CONCACAF will merge. A | | | | luster of the United States will allow the MLS to move |
| merger of these two regions only makes sense. And, | | | | past its European rivals. Twenty years might seem too |
| as a child of he 1980s, seeing these parts merge gives | | | | soon, but the league recently celebrated its 10th |
| me memories of Devastator coming together to work | | | | anniversary, and anyone around for the inauspicious |
| at the behest of Megatron to drive the Autobots... | | | | opening days of the league can attest to the manner |
| sorry. Back to my point, a merger of the North | | | | and rate of its growth. As for France, it's just a hunch, |
| American and South American confederations makes | | | | nothing more. The league has long under-performed, |
| sense, and it will improve the quality of play all around. | | | | and it seems like a nation of France's wealth and |
| First, it would give America and Canada more | | | | soccer pedigree should have a better league. Also, |
| consistent and meaningful exposure to top competition. | | | | look out for the J-League. |
| Second, it would make the regional championship (Cup | | | | 9. Australia will rue the day they moved to Asia. The |
| of the Americas? Americas' Cup? Copa de | | | | thinking was that by moving to Asia, Australia would |
| Americas?) a truly first rate event that upstages the | | | | have an easier road to qualification. In the past, the |
| Euros and takes its place as the second greatest | | | | Oceania winner would have to face a |
| soccer tournament in the world, after the World Cup. | | | | home-and-home playoff against a South American |
| Third, the sheer size of the confederation would | | | | team, and until this last World Cup, Australia could be |
| necessitate breaking the nations into groups, which | | | | counted on to lose that. As Japan, South Korea, Iran, |
| would mean fewer games for qualifying for the South | | | | Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and China continue to improve, it will |
| American teams. | | | | become the case that Australia faces an increasingly |
| 4. The Caribbean nations will jointly host the greatest | | | | difficult road to qualifying, and will miss some World |
| World Cup of all time. Building on their joint hosting of | | | | Cups that it may have made had it decided to instead |
| the Cricket World Cup, 10 Caribbean nations will treat | | | | take on teams like Uruguay or Venezuela. |
| football fans to the most fun, sun-soaked, and festive | | | | 10. Someone will take FIFA down a notch. In recent |
| World Cup on record. Moving between World Cup | | | | years, Sepp Blatter has become more and more |
| venues by cruise boat or airplane, thousands of fans | | | | sanctimonious and over-the-top in the way that he |
| will gather to watch soccer in the daytime, then drink | | | | discusses soccer's role in the world, its ability to |
| and party at night. The final in Port of Spain will take | | | | transcend national boundaries and, more troublingly, that |
| place to a steel drum soundtrack, and everyone, even | | | | the game (or, more pointedly, the administrators of the |
| the defeated fans, will leave happy. | | | | game: FIFA) is not subject to any national laws. There |
| 5. The United States will win a World Cup. I'm not | | | | have been other sporting institutions that have tried to |
| saying when, but in the next 56 years, it will happen. If | | | | advance the same lame argument, and in the United |
| you are skeptical (ahem, consummate America-hater | | | | States, at least, they have typically lost. FIFA needs to |
| Luis "Snacks" Bueno, I'm talking to you), you are way | | | | be subject to national laws, and talk to the contrary is |
| too pessimistic. Think about it: if my prediction is true, | | | | utter rubbish, and if true would give FIFA a status that |
| the grandmother of the team's captain might be in | | | | no other institution in the world possesses. Sure, this |
| preschool right now. The USA has built a first rate | | | | would cause administrative headaches for FIFA, but to |
| youth system, has excellent corporate backing, has the | | | | assert that FIFA can do whatever it wants without, for |
| best sports science in the world, and dadgummit, we're | | | | example, concern for local labor laws, is both |
| Americans and we don't lose. This the sporting | | | | anti-democratic and completely unjustified. In addition, |
| equivalent of the Apollo moon mission. Hell or high | | | | FIFA will have to learn a hard lesson as it attempts to |
| water we will get it done. | | | | fight the flow of history and enforce caps on foreign |
| 6. Britain will finally get its act together and field a joint | | | | players employed and fielded by club teams. |
| team. I know, this seems unlikely, especially with | | | | Globalization is a reality, and eventually FIFA will learn |
| Scotland getting greater independence and all, but let's | | | | these lessons. |
| be honest. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all | | | | So, by the time I am on my deathbed, soccer will look |
| have to struggle just to qualify for the World Cup, to | | | | quite a bit different. In most respect these changes will |
| say nothing of actually winning it. And, since England is | | | | be positive. Now that I have offered my opinion on |
| not itself a sovereign nation, it does not make any | | | | what the next six decades hold, I'm curious to hear |
| more sense that they should be a FIFA member than | | | | your opinions on what you think will happen in the |
| it would for say, Minnesota, to join FIFA. Frustrated by | | | | world of soccer. |
| continued failures, and perhaps even a bit chastened | | | | |