The interactions in the savannah ecosystem are complex, worthy of close examination, and offer valuable lessons. In this ecosystem, we have buffalo that are massive, cow-like animals with ridged horns. They are huge, fearless and capable of killing a lion in a one-on-one confrontation. Even the lion, the king of the jungle, is cautious about confrontation with a buffalo. Despite this fear factor, a tiny tick, a parasite that feeds on the host’s blood, makes life hellish for the buffalo. As the tick sucks the blood of the buffalo, the oxpecker, a bird that perches on big mammals, feeds on these ticks.

These interactions, viewed in the form of allegory, succinctly capture the current issue that nearly broke the bond binding the world football governing body, FIFA, and its confederations before the plan was withdrawn on August 1, 2026. FIFA is a massive buffalo. The proposed 20 per cent stake is the tick, while the confederations are the oxpeckers.

Everything in life is stratified. We have the powerful and the least powerful. No creature, no matter how powerful, is an all-in-all. For every powerful creature, there is a chink in every suit of armour. Such a powerful creature has to take recourse to the less powerful for survival. FIFA’s now-withdrawn plan of selling a 20 per cent stake, like nature, shows that absolute power exists nowhere except with God. The expression of power is characterised by interdependence in all contexts.

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Gianni Infantino announced plans to sell a 20 per cent stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights, valued at $20bn, to private investors through a new commercial vehicle called FIFA Forward Enterprise.

Before its withdrawal, the 211 member associations were to receive one-off US$20m from the proposal and were expected to take a stand on the issue by September 19, 2026.

On the surface, one may likely think the wrangling that nearly brought FIFA to its knees was caused by the intended sale of a 20 per cent stake and poor communication between FIFA and its constituents. A deep look shows the ecology of power within the football family. FIFA, the buffalo that crushes many animals, believes absolute power resides with it.

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Past actions by FIFA oscillate around participation, hosting and players’ health without touching on the lifeblood of FIFA, the commercial aspect, its blood.

But with the 20 per cent stake, all hell was let loose as it was about the blood of the buffalo, upon which every other member’s existence depends.

Before now, FIFA expanded the World Cup to 48, with plans to expand to 64.

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It also introduced multi-country hosting and hydration breaks during matches.

Some of these actions were not without reaction from confederations. I suppose, probably, they didn’t touch on the survival of the buffalo. The oxpecker’s reaction was very subtle. This is not the case now.

The proposed 20 per cent stake is the tick seeking to feed fat on the buffalo. The Kushner-led private investment team represents the feeding pipe through which the tick would suck the buffalo’s blood. But the oxpeckers in UEFA, AFC and CONCACAF would have none of that.

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The three oxpeckers quickly saw that the 20 per cent stake is a tick that threatens the survival of the buffalo.

Through the threat of boycotting the World Cup, objections to a lack of due process in FIFA’s conduct, undue deadline imposition, and objections about the effect of such a venture on the confederations’ internal tournaments, they only showed that the real power lies in interdependence and not one big buffalo calling the shots.

The three confederations of oxpeckers are not at war with the buffalo for the sake of it. Rather, they are protecting the sanctity of the game and living up to the tenets of the gospel of the game that is often unfurled in most tournaments that says, “Our game is fair play.” By offering a 20 per cent stake to private investors and promising members added revenue without all the confederations being in the know, FIFA was not fair. And by giving a deadline, it is like cornering the less powerful into signing an unread document.

While three confederations picked the role of an oxpecker to guard against the death of the football ecosystem, some confederations like CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC were more or less sitting on the fence. For CAF, there was no official stance from the confederation. Instead, we had backing from three CAF exco members and the Moroccan FA. One expected CAF, as the second-biggest voting bloc within FIFA, to be vocal against the proposal like the three oxpeckers. In an interview with Arise TV, former NFF chairman and special adviser to CAF president, Amaju Pinnick, supported the proposal, saying that since Infantino’s election, revenue accruing to members had increased and the current 20 per cent stake would bring more revenue. Though I am not a mind reader, something tells me this may likely be the position of CAF association members. They may want the tick on the buffalo, as this translates to added revenue without considering the endgame.

On August 7, 2026, two of the previously silent confederations before the withdrawal, CAF and CONMEBOL, issued a statement. While CONMEBOL called for preservation of the institutional governance, CAF more or less tied itself to the apron strings of FIFA. Or how else can one categorise this statement from the body, which says: “We acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of the FIFA Forward Enterprise.” It added, “It was certainly not the intention for the FIFA Council or FIFA member associations to feel excluded from the process, and it should have been handled differently.”

The removal of the tick from the buffalo by the three oxpeckers that took a stand is not the only thing that showed power is not absolute. Some parts of the buffalo, like FIFA Secretary General, Mattias Grafstrom, also reacted. He described the existence of the parasite as “a sad and reproachable series of events”. Also, a senior advisor to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned, saying the association between the buffalo and tick is: “A bad deal for FIFA’s member associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game.”

The fight over the “stake” became heated with three restless oxpeckers calling for the head of the buffalo.

The buffalo went on the defensive, saying the whole proposal was an “opportunity, but not an obligation.” It also enumerated the impact of such extra revenue on small countries. The money owed the Jordanian FA by FIFA was paid.

These actions are part of FIFA’s defensive mechanism against those coming for the head of the buffalo.

For now, the buffalo is enjoying some respite from some of the oxpeckers. But the real battle is no longer just about the tick; it is about those gunning for the head of the buffalo itself.

It is hard to say if the buffalo is totally free of ticks. What is certain is that the parasite must have gone underground, hiding in the fur. But a clear message has been passed.

The buffalo has taken this lesson to heart. The oxpeckers are chirping in different tunes. But their chirping carries the same force.

The message of the whole face-off lies in the realisation of the buffalo in a Yoruba adage that says: “Nibiti agbara eniyan kan ba pari si, ni ti awon kan to bere,” meaning the end of somebody’s power is the beginning of another person’s power.

Where the power of the buffalo ends is where the power of oxpeckers starts.

Shodunke, a media practitioner, writes via [email protected]

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Source: The Punch