Football itself was not big news when the World Cup began on Sunday. The most special – and disturbing – took place in the stands, where Gianni Infantino sat with his allies (see photo). On his right he had the Emir of Qatar. It makes sense, because Infantino is fond of the hosts. But on the left sat the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, the ruler of a country behind human rights abuses worse than in Qatar. There was no obvious reason for him to be there, because Saudi Arabia was not playing. Unfortunately, Infantino and Bin Salman are good friends. It is expected that Saudi Arabia will bid for the World Cup in 2030. The picture of the two said far more than a thousand words. This could be the direction football is heading. Murders and executions Qatar is a tragedy that must never be repeated. This tournament was voted for by a corrupt committee, before it was organized with a price tag of 200 billion dollars and several thousand lives. The next WC is in the USA, Canada and Mexico, but the countries for 2030 have not been decided. In September, The Times wrote that Saudi Arabia will apply together with Greece and Egypt. They want to move it to the winter, as it is too hot to play ball in the summer. In that case, we will get a new host like Qatar. Only bigger. And worse. Saudi Arabia is a dictatorship that reportedly mistreats migrant workers, kills critics and discriminates against women and gays. They are linked to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a consulate in Istanbul in 2018. They are involved in the war in Yemen. In March, they executed 81 people in one day. Saudi Arabia will use sports to take the focus away from this. They already own Newcastle, who go there for training camps and play in their nation’s colours. GREEN AND WHITE: Here, Newcastle play in the third kits away to Manchester United on 16 October. Photo: DAVID KLEIN / Reuters It goes without saying that such a state should not be able to win the WC. But then you don’t know Gianni Infantino. Friends with Putin The president of Fifa keeps hanging out with tyrants. When the World Cup opened in 2018, he sat in the stands next to Bin Salman and Vladimir Putin. In 2019, Infantino received a medal from Putin as a sign of his friendship with Russia. Three years later, Russia attacked Ukraine. PREVIOUS OPENING MATCH: Here the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Fifa President Gianni Infantino and Russian President Vladimir Putin sit in the stands when Russia met Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the 2018 World Cup. Photo: ALEXEY DRUZHININ / AFP Although Infantino was not president when Qatar overthrew the World Cup in 2010, he supported them all the way. The campaign asking Fifa to give 440 million dollars to the victims of the deadly working conditions in Qatar – the same amount given in prize money to the teams – he has not listened to. Seven World Cup nations planned to wear rainbow colored pads in protest against Qatar’s laws banning homosexuality. On Monday, Fifa blocked this initiative by threatening sanctions. – Don’t criticize Qatar! Infantino said in his speech on Saturday. The game for Qatar is lost. The World Cup in Russia belongs to history. It is now Infantino’s friendship with Bin Salman that should set off alarms. New ideas For several years, Saudi Arabia has been whispering things in Infantino’s ear. They were ready to finance Fifa’s proposal for a new and bigger World Cup for club teams, which was shelved. They encouraged Fifa to hold the World Cup every other year, an idea Infantino tried hard to sell to the rest of the world, without success. The journalist who follows Fifa for The New York Times, Tariq Panja, wrote on Twitter on Sunday that Bin Salman is probably the head of state closest to Infantino. It is impossible not to analyze this in light of a possible WC application. In August, Infantino was in Jeddah at the invitation of Bin Salman to watch the boxing match between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk. Then Infantino went straight to Greece to meet Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Later he met the head of the Greek Football Association, Panagiotis Baltakos. No one said outright that they were talking about a possible World Cup in 2030, but the signs are not exactly reassuring. Theoretically impossible The good news is that in theory Fifa should not be able to give the World Cup to Saudi Arabia. After Qatar won the World Cup in 2010, new mechanisms have been put in place. In 2016, they incorporated the UN principles on human rights. These are now part of the requirements for a WC application. Unlike the process in 2010, when a rotten 22-man executive committee decided, it is now the entire Fifa Congress that votes. It consists of 211 members. Even if Infantino were to support Saudi Arabia, it is the Fifa Congress that sits with the votes. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP But Infantino has great power. On Saturday, he talked about how human rights were part of the requirements for a WC application. Some asked if this meant that Qatar would be allowed to apply for the World Cup today. – Yes, of course, because the WC is open to everyone, Infantino replied. And with that he effectively opened the door for Saudi Arabia. State FIFA This is the global leader of football. This is the president who is running for re-election in Fifa in March without a fight. In the new Netflix documentary about Fifa, the organization is referred to as a kind of state – and it is true. Fifa is a global representative for everyone who loves football. The president meets heads of state around the world. He distributes money to the various football associations. He has a responsibility to make decisions that are in the best interest of football. But today this is the same person who gives the world a speech full of moral arguments, then sits down next to Bin Salman. Before the World Cup in Qatar, there was hope that this tournament is a mistake that will never happen again. Almost everyone who voted for Qatar is gone. After all, all the criticism has hit FIFA and Qatar. Surely even football’s leaders must have realized that another such tragedy must be avoided? In a logical world, the answer would be yes. By common sense, Qatar 2022 should be an exception. But this is Fifa. This is Infantino. And the fear is that this will become normal.
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