Once again FIFA is exhibiting a double standard and is hypocritical
when it comes to Israel's genocide in Gaza. As a result, it also violates its
own values and morals as well. FIFA has always claimed to be neutral during the
genocide's two and a half years. It has never condemned athletes' deaths or
sports infrastructure destruction. At the same time, as part of Donald Trump's
Board of Peace plan, FIFA has promised to invest $75 million in rebuilding
Gaza's infrastructure.
In this case, we see an escalation in the
flattery that FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been directing at President
Donald Trump. As Samindra Kunti put it, Infantino committed the association of
world football to a "true partnership" with the newly established
peace initiative that has been started by the US president.
Obviously, Infantino does not seem concerned
about the announcement made by the Vice President of the Palestinian Olympic
Committee, Asaad al-Majdalawi, on February 16, that 1,007 Palestinians
affiliated with sports movements, youth movements, and scouting movements have
been killed during the Israeli war. 265 sports facilities have been destroyed
due to the Gaza genocide.
“FIFA and Infantino’s presence at the Board of
Peace also renews questions about political neutrality and FIFA’s overt wooing
and support for Trump’s national agenda,” Kunti wrote.
Article
15 of the FIFA Ethics Code requires political neutrality from FIFA officials.
It states that: “In dealings with government institutions, national and
international organizations, associations and groupings, persons bound by this
Code shall, in addition to observing the basic rules of article 14, remain
politically neutral, in accordance with the principles and objectives of FIFA,
the confederations, associations, leagues and clubs, and generally act in a
manner compatible with their function and integrity.”
The reason for Infantino to be so close to
Trump is not clear to me. However, there are certain assumptions that could
lead us to the answer to this question if we took them into consideration.
First of all, Infantino knows he will be able to atone for FIFA's corrupt past
if he is on Trump's side. Additionally, he would be able to avoid another FIFA
scandal, such as a documentary series similar to FIFA UNCOVERED which
investigated the FIFA scandal. Second, he has to guarantee extending his
leadership until 2031 if he is re-elected in 2027. A FIFA president can serve a
maximum of three four-year terms. However, due to the unique circumstances
surrounding Infantino's election, he has effectively served more than three
terms. Third, Infantino's
landslide victory in 2016 raises suspicions and questions as to whether or not
the United States may have been behind it. In this regard, it is necessary that
he pays a price: offering services, concessions, and favors to the entity that
supported him and brought him to the position of FIFA's president.
At the moment, many FIFA members are
critical of Infantino's bizarre behavior. There is, however, the question of
whether or not the FIFA Council will be able to remove him from his position.
In the end, as Palestinians, we are most
upset about one thing from our experience with FIFA. This is not only due to
the fact that FIFA is engaging in double standards, hypocrisy, and flattery
towards Trump, but it is also due to the fact that Israel has been rewarded for
its crimes by FIFA. Thus, the mask covering FIFA's face has fallen off, revealing to the whole world that there is a moral crisis afflicting FIFA in
particular, as well as the West in general.
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