Gianni Infantino, Jay Shah and Rise Super-EXEK

Infantino in FIFA and Shah in ICC arranged themselves as super-execs like Musk and Zuckerberg but would not end well, warning Matt Readman.

In sports, the best referee is not considered. They secretly manage the game, letting play flow and leave the athletes to shine. Sometimes they have to uphold the law, but they are the keeper of the story, not the story itself.

I always think that the referee is a good analogy for the Governor of Sports – CEO, President and Chair – who mastered the game that we like. They are not kings, they are caregivers. Responsible for something valuable, something fragile, something that becomes millions of people.

Traditionally those who play this role do it in a relatively calm and administrative way. Leaders were chosen because of their lifetime services for sports, or as very quality and proven professionals. They are often famous in their world, but not the world.

It began to change, because more sports leaders tried to put themselves in front and middle. FIFA President Gianni Infantino carved his name not only once but twice in the new club Cup trophy. This new video clip that promotes the Cricket world test championship has more ICC chairman Jay Shah’s shot than the players. Is the guard king?

This is a shift that reflects a wider business world. Past leaders from large companies rarely became household names, but in 2025 Super-EXEC such as Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk as famous as the brand they created. This has given more pressure to all modern leaders to do the same.

Of course not only in the business world; Global politics is increasingly being carried out by “strong men” leaders. If you want to rub your shoulders with this crowd, you must behave in the same way.

Finally, Challenger Sports has used Super-EXEC as a weapon to get attention and credibility quickly. The success of the White Dana at UFC has persuaded the league and the new competition they need is similar, which is why we have seen vocalists like Greg Norman in Liv Golf, Gerard Pique in Kings League and, the latest, Mike Tindall on Rugby’s R360.

As a result, modern sports leaders build their own profiles in a new way, creating more direct connections with fans through podcasts and content.

Sports leaders must be a caregiver not king

What’s the problem, you might ask? High -profile sports leaders add character and drama to the story. Is it important if the soccer club owner is more famous than his manager – or even the players, in the case of Ryan Reynolds?

Not at all if the leaders prioritize sports above themselves. But this is where the analogy of the referee is very helpful. Because of course there is a referee who is not happy just to collect stories; They want to be that. And they are rarely popular.

This is a warning for super sports leaders. Rarely ends well if you become the story.

When you fly too close to the sun, the candle starts to melt. If Tesla’s stock price that falls is not a sharp parable, then Bill Sweeney’s voice to survive in the RFU, or PGA player counterattack to Jay Monahan is a reminder that this role cannot be autocratic.

Despite frustration like the committee, the sound and thought of the group in a fast moving sports world, leaders cannot forget that sports fundamentally belongs to those who play it and support it, not those who govern it.

While the role of super sports is undoubtedly going to continue to increase, maybe we should do what they do in ancient Rome for general generals and have supporters in their ears that they are only humans.

Be a guard, not king.

Matt Readman is a Chief Strategy Officer at the Dark Horses Sports Marketing Agency.