FIFA is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was founded in 1904 to initially oversee to international competitions and its membership now comprises 211 countries – making it one of the biggest and most powerful organisations in the world.
However, FIFA has not been far from scandal in recent times: with corruption, bribery and vote-rigging related to the election of FIFA president, Sepp Blatter and the organisation’s decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively. These allegations led to the indictments of nine high-ranking FIFA officials and five corporate executives by the U.S. Department of Justice. Charges included racketeering, wire-fraud and money laundering.
Many officials were suspended by FIFA’s ethics committee including Blatter, himself, and much revered former player, Michel Platini. With FIFA’s reputation under serious scrutiny and a Transparency International and Forza Football survey of 25,000 fans from over 50 countries, returning results of less than a quarter of fans globally having any trust in FIFA, Gianni Infantino was voted in as its new President in early 2016 – which was not without controversy either.
Infantino promised “transparency” and to “begin the job of restoring trust in FIFA”. He added: “I don’t speak about politics, barriers and divisions. We can focus on football and develop football everywhere in the world”.
Nobody could really argue with this sentiment nor underestimate the mammoth job ahead of him – an enviable task indeed. However, public sympathy probably wanes somewhat when the job carries a salary in excess of £2 million, with plenty of perks on top of that.
Nevertheless, a huge responsibility, and an already difficult task compounded by two controversial World Cup host nations on the horizon. However, Infantino’s first business was widely regarded as a positive move: he criticised the travel ban imposed the United States on several Muslim nations. He released a statement saying “When it comes to FIFA competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup. That is obvious”.
He also took a strong stance on women’s rights. He called out Iran’s ban on women as “unacceptable” and stated “Women must be allowed into stadiums. Now is the moment to change”. But, as with his predecessor, he was never far from allegations, and he was suspected to have broken the FIFA code of ethics. He was ultimately investigated by the chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee; however, he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Infantino’s biggest challenge is now upon us, with probably the most controversial World Cup underway in the smallest nation to ever host the competition, Qatar. With a population of around 2.7 million and the seven purpose-built stadiums all close together, it was always going to be a challenge for the organisers. Its selection sent shockwaves across the globe when it was announced in December 2010 – and mostly disapproving.
The build-up has been blighted by human rights issues, LGBTQ+ discrimination, migrant worker conditions, and the strict local laws that fans from visiting countries would have to abide by.
Gianni Infantino’s press conference in Doha ahead of the Qatar World Cup on Saturday sparked a strong reaction from footballers, fans and pundits. In a lengthy monologue he stated: “Today I have very strong feelings. Today, I feel Qatari. Today, I feel Arab. Today, I feel African. Today, I feel gay. Today, I feel disabled. Today, I feel a migrant worker”.
In an endeavour to show empathy and understanding he continued: “I am a son of migrant workers, my parents were working hard in very difficult conditions” and “We know there are many illegal workers in Europe, living in conditions that aren’t the best. Only a few survive”. If he was attempting to fuel-the-fire, he definitely achieved it.
He closed on a bold statement: “Qatar is ready, and it will be the best World Cup ever”. Whether the world agrees may be a different matter. The jury is out on Gianni Infantino, and the winter World Cup 2022.