This corruption must be examined from different angles. It is essential to scrutinize and expose the role of major international institutions that play a significant part in political, cultural and ideological spheres.
This year's World Cup has created a lot of noise. While Russia has been excluded from the World Cup due to the war in Ukraine, the United States, which is currently attacking Iran, recently occupied Venezuela, bombed Nigeria, officially threatens Cuba and Zambia, and is directly involved in the Middle East war, has been chosen to host the World Cup. Neither the mainstream media nor international institutions nor governments have challenged this double standard.
One important event before the World Cup has either been forgotten or is made to be forgotten: the astonishing fact that FIFA President Gianni Infantino was invited by Trump to the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt in October 2025! At the end of the summit, Infantino declared: “It was a historic day, really. A historic day for the Middle East...for the world and ... for the peace... For me and for FIFA is very import to be here, to help, to assist, to put ourselves at the disposal of what we can do to make sure that this peace process comes to fruition and best possible end.”
One must ask what FIFA and its president have to do with the peace process, the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the future of Gaza and the region. The answer lies in the money. They have certainly negotiated about FIFA’s investment in the “Palestinian Riviera” project behind closed doors. Another astonishing event is the creation of the “Peace Prize” by FIFA. Infantino presented the first Peace Prize to Donald Trump on December 6, 2025. First, Trump invites Infantino to the Middle East Peace Summit; less than two months later, the newly created FIFA Peace Prize is presented to Trump, and the United States is selected in the draw to host the World Cup.
FIFA's role and contribution in promoting and help establishing the Western imperialist ideology is undeniable. This corruption has been demonstrated more clearly in this year's World Cup. The racist discrimination of the US government in its treatment of some teams and their fans from Africa, the Middle East or Latin America has provoked many protests. FIFA stayed nonchalant vis a vis these major and obvious discriminations. It ignores them as minor issues. The lack of response from FIFA and Western governments has exposed the blatant racism of Western imperialism. Any mask of superior Western civilization, democracy, human rights, equal and progressive laws has been completely torn off. The racist and supremacist culture and bullying policies of America have been laid bare before the eyes of the world.
Football is one of the most popular sports in the world. In many countries, football is a national sport. Many people from all over the world, with different cultures and languages, love this sport. That is why football has become one of the most profitable sports, generating billions of dollars of profit for its owners and managers. For example, it is predicted that FIFA will earn more than $13 billion from this World Cup. (Ticket prices have increased dramatically. A ticket for the final match costs $10,000.) In addition to money and profit, football is an important tool in the hands of the ruling class to impose political-ideological narratives. The World Cup is one of the most watched sports in the world.
If at least a few years ago the World Cup and FIFA were considered respected institutions that consolidated the supremacy of Western culture and politics worldwide, this image has been challenged for a few years now. FIFA’s corruption and theft are being discussed more and more. Perhaps, the first time FIFA and the World Cup faced serious attacks, criticism and revelations was during the previous World Cup. The choice of Qatar to host the World Cup created a huge scandal; because it was proven that the draw was rigged and that FIFA had taken bribes from Qatar.
But even more importantly was the scandal of using slaves to build a stadium in Qatar. The brutal exploitation of migrant workers, which led to the murder of more than 6,500 people, sparked outrage. But despite global protests, the World Cup went ahead without a hitch and no one was prosecuted for these crimes.
Now all the attention is focused on the naked racism of the United States. Examples: The United States denied entry to the Somali referee, Omar Abdulkadir, who had officially travelled to the United States as a World Cup referee and on a diplomatic passport, his phone and tablet were confiscated and then he was put on a plane to Turkey. The Senegalese team was stopped as soon as they got off the plane and each of them was security searched . The Uzbek players were also searched for a long time. The Iraqi team's vice-captain was questioned for 7 hours at the airport; during this time, the Iraqi team and all its staff were detained at the airport, and in the end, the team photographer was expelled.
A number of key management and administrative staff of the Iranian team were not granted visas. The entire team managed to obtain visas only ten days before the first match. The Iranian team is allowed to enter the United States only to play in the match but they have to return to Mexico immediately after each match.
The racist discrimination and in line with the imperialist policy of the United States in the World Cup have caused a complete scandal for the United States, Western governments, and FIFA. Every mask has been torn off and the depth of their political-racial supremacist ideology has been exposed. The shaky edifice of Western civilization has collapsed.
*FIFA is a private organization that is not bound by national or international laws. FIFA sets its own rules and regulations. FIFA’s headquarter is based in Switzerland and is tax-exempt. FIFA's revenue from the 2026 World Cup alone is expected to exceed $13 billion. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has said that 15,000 children are trafficked from West Africa to Europe every year through FIFA pipelines. Traffickers lure parents with the dream of their son becoming a football star, and most of them end up in slavery, with about 25 percent of them left homeless on the streets, where they fall prey to drug trafficking, mafia or sexual exploitation. FIFA has so far taken no action in this regard.
This year's World Cup has created a lot of noise. While Russia has been excluded from the World Cup due to the war in Ukraine, the United States, which is currently attacking Iran, recently occupied Venezuela, bombed Nigeria, officially threatens Cuba and Zambia, and is directly involved in the Middle East war, has been chosen to host the World Cup. Neither the mainstream media nor international institutions nor governments have challenged this double standard.
One important event before the World Cup has either been forgotten or is made to be forgotten: the astonishing fact that FIFA President Gianni Infantino was invited by Trump to the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt in October 2025! At the end of the summit, Infantino declared: “It was a historic day, really. A historic day for the Middle East...for the world and ... for the peace... For me and for FIFA is very import to be here, to help, to assist, to put ourselves at the disposal of what we can do to make sure that this peace process comes to fruition and best possible end.”
One must ask what FIFA and its president have to do with the peace process, the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the future of Gaza and the region. The answer lies in the money. They have certainly negotiated about FIFA’s investment in the “Palestinian Riviera” project behind closed doors. Another astonishing event is the creation of the “Peace Prize” by FIFA. Infantino presented the first Peace Prize to Donald Trump on December 6, 2025. First, Trump invites Infantino to the Middle East Peace Summit; less than two months later, the newly created FIFA Peace Prize is presented to Trump, and the United States is selected in the draw to host the World Cup.
FIFA's role and contribution in promoting and help establishing the Western imperialist ideology is undeniable. This corruption has been demonstrated more clearly in this year's World Cup. The racist discrimination of the US government in its treatment of some teams and their fans from Africa, the Middle East or Latin America has provoked many protests. FIFA stayed nonchalant vis a vis these major and obvious discriminations. It ignores them as minor issues. The lack of response from FIFA and Western governments has exposed the blatant racism of Western imperialism. Any mask of superior Western civilization, democracy, human rights, equal and progressive laws has been completely torn off. The racist and supremacist culture and bullying policies of America have been laid bare before the eyes of the world.
Football is one of the most popular sports in the world. In many countries, football is a national sport. Many people from all over the world, with different cultures and languages, love this sport. That is why football has become one of the most profitable sports, generating billions of dollars of profit for its owners and managers. For example, it is predicted that FIFA will earn more than $13 billion from this World Cup. (Ticket prices have increased dramatically. A ticket for the final match costs $10,000.) In addition to money and profit, football is an important tool in the hands of the ruling class to impose political-ideological narratives. The World Cup is one of the most watched sports in the world.
If at least a few years ago the World Cup and FIFA were considered respected institutions that consolidated the supremacy of Western culture and politics worldwide, this image has been challenged for a few years now. FIFA’s corruption and theft are being discussed more and more. Perhaps, the first time FIFA and the World Cup faced serious attacks, criticism and revelations was during the previous World Cup. The choice of Qatar to host the World Cup created a huge scandal; because it was proven that the draw was rigged and that FIFA had taken bribes from Qatar.
But even more importantly was the scandal of using slaves to build a stadium in Qatar. The brutal exploitation of migrant workers, which led to the murder of more than 6,500 people, sparked outrage. But despite global protests, the World Cup went ahead without a hitch and no one was prosecuted for these crimes.
Now all the attention is focused on the naked racism of the United States. Examples: The United States denied entry to the Somali referee, Omar Abdulkadir, who had officially travelled to the United States as a World Cup referee and on a diplomatic passport, his phone and tablet were confiscated and then he was put on a plane to Turkey. The Senegalese team was stopped as soon as they got off the plane and each of them was security searched . The Uzbek players were also searched for a long time. The Iraqi team's vice-captain was questioned for 7 hours at the airport; during this time, the Iraqi team and all its staff were detained at the airport, and in the end, the team photographer was expelled.
A number of key management and administrative staff of the Iranian team were not granted visas. The entire team managed to obtain visas only ten days before the first match. The Iranian team is allowed to enter the United States only to play in the match but they have to return to Mexico immediately after each match.
The racist discrimination and in line with the imperialist policy of the United States in the World Cup have caused a complete scandal for the United States, Western governments, and FIFA. Every mask has been torn off and the depth of their political-racial supremacist ideology has been exposed. The shaky edifice of Western civilization has collapsed.
*FIFA is a private organization that is not bound by national or international laws. FIFA sets its own rules and regulations. FIFA’s headquarter is based in Switzerland and is tax-exempt. FIFA's revenue from the 2026 World Cup alone is expected to exceed $13 billion. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has said that 15,000 children are trafficked from West Africa to Europe every year through FIFA pipelines. Traffickers lure parents with the dream of their son becoming a football star, and most of them end up in slavery, with about 25 percent of them left homeless on the streets, where they fall prey to drug trafficking, mafia or sexual exploitation. FIFA has so far taken no action in this regard.
⏩ Asar Majed is the Chairperson of Organisation for Women’s Liberation.
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