Along the raised dais in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where world leaders flanked US president Donald Trump to mark the ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip, one man stood out who was neither head of government nor Arab royalty.
Gianni Infantino, president of global soccer’s governing body, Fifa, was the only sports official at Monday’s summit and the only dignitary without a political role. He posed for photos with Trump and with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt. He promised to help reconstruct sports fields destroyed in Gaza and said he travelled to Egypt at Trump’s invitation.
“It’s something that is really important for Fifa to be here,” Infantino said on Instagram in a polished highlight video showcasing his interactions with world leaders.
Infantino has made it his business to be where Trump is, no matter the agenda of the day. Infantino gave remarks at a 2020 dinner for business executives hosted by Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
RM Block
During the Covid pandemic that year, he travelled to Washington for the signing of the Abraham Accords that established diplomatic ties between Israel and multiple Arab nations. He also secured a prominent seat this year at Trump’s second inauguration and has appeared in the Oval Office many times since.
Infantino has been one of Trump’s biggest boosters since his first term, when the United States secured co-hosting rights to the 2026 World Cup. Fifa opened an office in Trump Tower this year. He has talked up Trump in glowing terms – last week, he called for him to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in Gaza – and in return has been rewarded with the sort of attention and access that Trump reserves for his top aides and allies.
The closeness of their relationship has prompted criticism, including from other soccer officials, over whether Infantino should be forming such a close public bond with one global leader. Fifa has strict rules on political interference in soccer, and Fifa executives and other soccer officials have privately expressed concern about Infantino’s behaviour around Trump, according to some of the officials. Trump has called Infantino “the king of soccer.”
A Fifa spokesperson noted that many world leaders were present and that as Fifa president, Infantino was justified in being there as something of an equal.
Fifa is under pressure to rule on a 2-year-old complaint from one of its members, the Palestinian soccer federation, against Israel. The complaint alleges that Israel has broken Fifa regulations, including rules on territoriality by allowing teams from Israeli settlements in the West Bank play in the Israeli league. Israel has rejected the accusations.
“Infantino has abandoned all pretence of the political neutrality that Fifa espouses and is statutorily committed to uphold, and has put Fifa firmly in the corner of Donald Trump and Binyamin Netanyahu,” said Nick McGeehan, director of the human rights advocacy group FairSquare, which has produced reports critical of Fifa. He described Infantino’s appearance in Egypt as “deeply troubling.”
A Fifa spokesperson did not respond to questions about McGeehan’s statement.
Infantino, who travelled to the summit on a Qatar-owned private jet he frequently uses, has brushed aside the criticisms. He has insisted that he needs a close relationship with a host country’s leader to successfully stage the World Cup. He has spent far less time with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, who are co-hosting the tournament.
There is little precedent for sports leaders to align themselves as closely with global leaders as Infantino has. The president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry, who similarly manages relationships with heads of government, did not attend the summit in Egypt. Infantino’s predecessor, Sepp Blatter, who was ousted following a corruption scandal in 2015, was never a fixture at political events. Nor was Thomas Bach, whom Coventry succeeded this year.
Infantino has grown close to leaders elsewhere who blur the lines between business and government. They include President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, whom rights groups accuse of holding sham elections; Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, which secured hosting rights to the 2034 World Cup without a bidding competition; and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup. Qatar provided Infantino with a villa in Doha before the World Cup there in 2022.
Infantino has also embraced Trump family members. He broke with convention by allowing Trump’s daughter Ivanka to participate in the draw for the Club World Cup, a new tournament that was held in the United States this year. Typically, retired players draw names for tournaments.
Donald Trump has persuaded Infantino to leave two Fifa trophies with him, including a replica of the World Cup that is on display in the Oval Office. Earlier this month, the space reserved for it at FIFA’s museum in Zurich was empty.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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