The week that was in FIFA
This was quite a week for football's governing body, even by usual FIFA standards.
As we hurtle towards another World Cup cycle — one already riddled with off-field distractions, geopolitical entanglements, and ethical landmines — it’s hard not to feel a sense of whiplash.
We are still reconciling the fallout from the previous World Cup cycle and already beginning to unpackage the ramifications of a World Cup nine years from now. At this point, the World Cup is less a footballing spectacle and more a geopolitical carousel, spinning ever faster under the gleaming, unfazed eye of its puppetmasters.
This, of course, is about FIFA and its omnipresent president, Gianni Infantino — a man who, along with football’s governing body, somehow still finds ways to outdo himself.
So in a rare Friday newsletter post, let’s break it down:
Infantino announced that he would be accompanying Donald Trump on his trip to the Gulf, to help schmooze the American president with his old friends in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
This happened to coincide with their annual congress, being held in Paraguay. In an unprecedented move, the organisation’s president would not be in full attendance, forcing the original meeting, to be held in person this past Tuesday, to be held virtually last Friday.
On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch said it has “grave concerns” about the Trump administration’s border policies affecting the 2026 World Cup. According to POLITICO, they have urged Infantino to be “prepared to reconsider the hosting decision” if the safety of fans and players can’t be guaranteed.
On Wednesday, a FairSquare report warned that thousands of migrant workers are likely to die in Saudi Arabia as a result of a building boom fuelled by the 2034 World Cup and other major construction projects on their horizon.
On Thursday, a group of leading lawyers submitted an official complaint to FIFA, alleging the organisation has failed to follow its own human rights policies in relation to the Saudi Arabian World Cup.
“To date there is no evidence that such steps have been initiated, let alone that Fifa has any intention of doing so. This complaint highlights these failings so that they can be rectified without delay.”
On Thursday afternoon, UEFA delegates exited the live FIFA congress in Paraguay, after Infantino arrived three hours late. Infantino was late having prioritised his trip with Trump to the Gulf. UEFA said the delays were due to “what appears to be simply to accommodate private political interests” put football’s interests second.
“As president of FIFA, my responsibility is to take decisions in the interests of the organisation. I decided to spend the last two days in the Middle East, knowing the 2034 World Cup will be in Saudi Arabia and the 2022 World Cup was in Qatar.”
At the same meeting, the Palestinian delegate, Susan Shalabi, the vice president of the PFA, urged world football’s governing body to “act now”, in regards to a decision from FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee to conclude its investigation into whether teams from Israeli settlements in the West Bank competing in national Israeli competitions represent a breach of the FIFA statutes.
“Last year, president Infantino himself described the matter as ‘urgent’ and promised swift review. The matter was then remitted to the FIFA Governance Audit and Compliance Committee and the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, but that was eight months ago, and even now in the report that we hear from compliance, we didn’t even see any mention of Palestine or the investigation that was being done there. Since then, we received no timeline, no response, no clarity, no due process, despite repeated follow-ups. Our issue sadly again is stuck in a highly politicised bureaucratic holding pattern.”
Under Infantino, FIFA has morphed into something more than a governing body. It is now a diplomatic wing of soft-power superstates, a networking platform for despots, and a moral vacuum masquerading as global sport with the falsity of “growing the game”.
The game? It’s still being played. But the real action now seems to be in VIP lounges lending an ear to Donald Trump’s whims, private jets, and closed-door meetings that seem to define football’s future, well away from congress and the concerns and efforts of it member countries.
So as we barrel toward 2026 and beyond, maybe the most honest thing we can do is stop pretending this is still about football.
Excellent article Kevin, as usual even though it makes for quite sad reading. If its any consolation, national and international football history, is unfortunately littered with morally questionable decisions. But for some reason it remains the world's most popular and played sport. It's never going to be perfect and thats why it's important that reporters like you call out the powerful when their decisions are morally dubious and perhaps sometimes even make them listen. Regards, Tony.