How much longer can FIFA ignore Gaza?

 

By James M.  Dorsey

 

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European members of the world soccer body FIFA staged a dramatic walkout at the world governing body’s congress in Paraguay when President Gianni Infantino arrived late earlier this month.

The Europeans accused Mr. Infantino of prioritising his personal political interests by attributing greater importance to meetings with US President Donald J. Trump in Qatar, the host of the 2022 World Cup, than to FIFA’s highest decision-making body.

Mr. Infantino was part of Mr. Trump's extended entourage on the president's three-nation Gulf tour, which also included visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

With their walkout, the Europeans highlighted a core problem with global sports governance that has dogged FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, and virtually all other global, regional, and national sports associations for decades: the insistence on the fiction that sports and politics are separate.

The walkout had a pot calling the kettle black quality to it, with the European soccer administrators failing to acknowledge that they are as guilty of upholding the fiction as is Mr. Infantino.

Sports administrators have long refused to recognise that sports and politics are Siamese twins joined at the hip, in desperate need of a regulatory mechanism to oversee the relationship, much like a financial regulator supervises the financial sector.

The fiction has allowed Mr. Infantino and his FIFA predecessors to violate the soccer body’s rules, particularly regarding the human rights obligations of tournament hosts.

The fiction has further enabled FIFA to act as a pillar of autocracy, for example, by awarding Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup hosting rights.

Over the last 15 years, Gulf autocracies have been at the centre of FIFA's financial and political corruption scandals.

At least seven of the FIFA Council’s 37 members are members or close associates of authoritarian or autocratic leaders.

They include Bahrain ruling family member Salman Bin Ebrahim, Sándor Csanyi, a close associate of Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, Hani Abo Rida, a close associate of Egyptian-general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Fouzi Lekjaa, a senior Moroccan government budget official, Qatar ruling family member Hamad Khalifa Al-Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman associate Yasser Almisehal, and, Nigerien military officer Hamidou Djibrilla, a onetime military junta spokesman.

Mr. Infantino joined Mr. Trump on the Saudi and Qatari leg of the president’s Gulf tour. He flew to Paraguay on a private Qatari jet.

Mr. Infantino justified his prioritisation of the Trump road show by noting that the United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the 2026 World Cup.

In doing so, Mr. Infantino did what FIFA does best: serving as a pillar of autocracy and authoritarianism.

Washington Post White House Bureau chief Matt Viser, who covered Mr. Trump’s tour, noted that Messrs. Trump and Infantino, beyond genuine affection for one another, have  much in common.

“There is an aspect of Trump’s foreign policy approach that aligns with FIFA’s president. They want to expand global reach with glitz and glamour, and they are willing to stretch ethical boundaries and turn a blind eye to autocrats who crack down on their populations,” Mr. Viser said.

Messrs. Infantino and Trump have known each other for years. Speaking at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, Mr. Infantino spoke glowingly about the US president.

“President Trump is definitely a sportsman. I am lucky enough in my life to come across some of the most talented athletes in soccer. And President Trump is made of the same sort of fibre. He is a competitor. He wants to compete. He wants to win. He wants to show who is the best. He says actually what many think, but more importantly, he does, then, what he says.” Mr. Infantino said.

That may be one reason why Mr. Infantino has steered clear of the Gaza war for the past 19 months.

Mr. Infantino, supported by many European federations, ensured that FIFA remained silent about Gaza even though Israel’s assault killed a large number of Palestinian footballers and destroyed the Strip’s sporting infrastructure.

Mr. Infantino bought time by insisting for the last year that he was seeking legal advice on a call by the Palestinian Football Federation to sanction Israeli soccer because of the Gaza war.

Mr. Infantino’s refusal to act contrasted starkly with FIFA’s decision to bar Russia from competing in the 2022 World Cup months after Russian troops invaded Ukraine.

However, with Europe and Canada this week threatening to sanction Israel because it blocked the entry of humanitarian goods into Gaza, FIFA may no longer be able to sit on the fence.

The hardening European attitude towards Israel may narrow the gap between European governments and significant segments of public opinion critical of Israel, as well as between FIFA and soccer fans, a key pillar of the soccer community.

The gap is evident in soccer with soccer fan protests in Europe and North Africa.

Glasgow’s Celtic FC supporters launched a campaign for FIFA to “show Israel the red card.” Fans in countries as far-flung as Spain, Ireland, and Morocco have followed suit.

Tottenham Hotspur fans demanded that one of their star players, Israel-born Manor Solomon, one of Israel’s top sporting exports, be sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague because he supported the Israeli assault on Gaza.

*He looks good; He looks fine; Manor Solomon's on my mind; And he hates Palestine!” fans chanted.

Dr. James M. Dorsey is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, and the author of the syndicated column and podcast, The Turbulent World with James M. Dorsey.