OpinionWhat was on the agenda when the two most powerful people in world football met in Beijing?

A meeting between arguably the two most powerful men in world football just took place. Their impact could be so pervasive over the next two or three decades that this meeting may profoundly change the balance of power across global football. At the very least, these two men are likely to shape what happens between now and 2030.

China’s President Xi Jinping and Fifa’s president Gianni Infantino were the two men in question, their meeting having taken place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The choice of venue was telling, as the Great Hall is used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the Chinese government and the ruling Communist Party. Indeed, the view from China seems to have been that the meeting’s symbolism, rather than its content, was the most striking feature of Xi and Infantino’s encounter.

The Swiss head of Fifa is still a relative newcomer to his presidential position, having been elected to replace the much-maligned Sepp Blatter. Infantino’s compatriot presided over one of the most turbulent periods in Fifa’s history, as the governing body became embroiled in a series of corruption scandals. Infantino faces a huge task in turning around the organisation, although the way in which he attempts to do so will have important ramifications for world football.

Infantino may therefore have simply dropped by Beijing to say ‘thanks’, although a post-transaction courtesy call is unlikely to have been the principle motive for his visit to the Great Hall.

If symbolism rather than content characterised the meeting, then it implies that Xi and Infantino will meet again soon (although Xi had already met senior Fifa officials when he was in Davos earlier in the year for the World Economic Forum). One assumes that on their next meeting, substance rather than show will be premise for their get-together. The key question is, what will be on their agenda?