FIFA president Gianni Infantino has shamelessly aligned soccer’s governing body with Donald Trump’s administration, and now the World Cup’s legacy could be one of division and disharmony.
Referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States for the World Cup (Image: Hector Vivas/FIFA via Getty Images)
Gianni Infantino has been breaking records over the past year. Everything is going great. The World Cup will be an “all-out celebration” and “the greatest event humanity has ever seen.”
The FIFA president has been central and omnipresent in World Cup preparations, shifting his focus from friendly relations with Mohammed bin Salman to badmouthing Donald Trump.
The ridiculous situation in which a career bureaucrat and head of a non-profit governing body is so close to the most powerful man in the world was made clear in December when Mr. Infantino created an award with the comical name of the FIFA Peace Prize just to give it to Mr. Trump.
Despite what some may say, football has always been intertwined with politics, but Infantino’s blatant move, purely to advance his own status and advance his expansionist policies at FIFA, was shameful. And we are now seeing the fruits of that partnership.
On Monday, it was revealed that Somali referee Omar Altan will no longer officiate at the World Cup. He was barred from entering the United States by immigration and that was that. “FIFA is not involved in host country entry procedures, including visa checks, and we have been informed by the authorities that Mr. Artan’s status will not change at this time,” the organization said in a statement, but disclaimed responsibility.
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Somalia is one of the countries on the travel ban list created by the Trump administration, and FIFA has no intention of defending one of their elected officials. Artan is just one of many people who faced problems before the tournament started.
His comments after being denied the biggest opportunity of his career solely because of his nationality are heartbreaking. “I would like to thank FIFA and CAF for all their support. I am committed to continuing to raise the level of refereeing while focusing on the future,” he said. “I would like to thank my football family for their messages and wish all my colleagues the best of success at the World Cup and look forward to joining them again in future competitions.”
This comes after Iran were forced to move their training base from Arizona to Mexico at the last minute and tickets were also released for supporters. Meanwhile, Senegal and Uzbekistan underwent rigorous testing upon arrival in the United States.
Gianni Infantino shamelessly co-opted the US government (Image: Associated Press)
A furious Ian Wright branded it a “World Cup of Chaos”, adding: “Is this the spirit of football?” Well, that’s certainly not what Infantino guaranteed would be the case for us a few months ago when he was busy touting his wisdom.
“It’s important to be clear about this,” he said last summer. “There are a lot of misconceptions out there. Everyone will be welcome in Canada, Mexico and the United States at next year’s FIFA World Cup.”
It was proven completely false. And that’s not entirely true, considering his own actions after aligning himself with President Trump, who clearly doesn’t care about this sport.
You might think that once football started, these issues would be swept under the carpet. But there is no escape for FIFA, which has decided to take money from fans allowed into North America. FIFA’s ultra-capitalist outlook during the Infantino era has pushed ticket prices to staggering levels and travel and accommodation to undefensible levels.
The World Cup’s legacy could be erased off the pitch (Image: Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)
Perhaps all is forgiven because of the high level of entertainment provided? Well, this could be a problem for FIFA as well. That’s because FIFA has secured a massive 108 matches and spreads it out thinly, meaning that while matches will almost always be shown on TV, many may not be available to watch.
FIFA has decided to move the 2022 World Cup to winter so Qatar can host it, but there will be no such concession this time, meaning players will have to play in extreme heat and humidity. Last summer’s Club World Cup offered a glimpse of what less intense, more conservative and potentially dangerous football could look like as a result.
Under Infantino’s watch, FIFA has kowtowed to the US administration to maximize its own profits, praising Trump – in Infantino’s own pandering words, “a leader who cares about his people” – whose profits have increased by 72% to $13bn (about £9.6bn) in the four years to 2026.
FIFA’s sweet jargon about football being for everyone, a dream come true, and expanding purely for the good of the game crumbles as soon as a moral test is put to it. FIFA may be trying to crack down on World Cup disgrace.
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