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Of course, there is no reference to the ongoing crisis engulfing the organisation in an exhibition which covers the history of association football from its very beginnings right up to the present day.
So, anyone looking for display cabinets full of bundles of cash, Parmigiani watches or Chuck Blazer’s mobility scooter is going to be disappointed.
There is still plenty of scope for ridicule for the cynically-minded among the impressive collection of football memorabilia and other exhibits.
A display inviting you to identify ‘World Cup Willie’ – the 1966 World Cup mascot – by touch was the source of much puerile hilarity, while a display left empty for items from Russia 2018 prompted quips about whether it might include computers conveniently lost during the investigation into the award of the tournament.
And the fact it all cost £100 million – albeit as part of a deal to lease a premises that includes £6,000-a-month apartments and offices – is a joke in itself. But as you work your way around the museum, it is impossible not to be wowed by the result.
As well as teeming with memorabilia from World Cups and other historic occasions in football, each area is filled with ultra-modern interactive features.
Some are more impressive than others but the overall effect is worth the £17 adult admission fee – or £46 for a family of two adults and two children. And it is the areas designed with children in mind that are a real highlight, particularly the series of ‘Pinball’ games in which visitors can take part in challenges that tests their footballing skills.
There is even enough to keep non-football fans entertained.
But those with a passion for the game will get the most pleasure from what the museum has to offer.
As well as overflowing with the likes of balls, shirts, medals and boots from different periods in football history, it boasts more specialist pieces, including an unopened bottle of champagne from England’s 1966 World Cup triumph.
Indeed, England’s contribution to the global game is fully embraced, which may be because a Briton is at the heart of the operation. Guy Oliver, the museum’s audio-visual and publications manager, is responsible for sourcing many of the pieces, either through donations, loans or buying them through auctions.
He also managed to unearth some of the prize exhibits in the collection, most notably the original plinth to the Jules Rimet Trophy, which had been left sitting on a shelf by people completely oblivious to its significance.
Oliver also passionately believes the trophy itself, stolen in Brazil in 1983, is still out there and was not – as was rumoured – melted down into gold bars.
To that end, he is poised to undertake a worldwide trophy hunt, starting in Brazil itself, in an attempt to locate it.
Anyone wanting their own World Cup – the current trophy that is – can purchase a miniature one in the museum’s gift shop for £65. And Blatter said it could not be bought …
- Telegraph