The 2026 FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) World Cup ended on July 19th with a quiet bang. The match’s only goal, scored in the 106th minute, brought Spain the victory and as the winning stage filled up with the Spain team, two of the most awful men in the world found their way up there too: Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino.

Like all of the most powerful people in the world, Mr. Gianni Infantino became richer while the world that was watching the game he produced, suffered. The multinational (Swiss, Italian and Lebanese) president of FIFA, has quadrupled both the audience and the break time – with the addition of two 15 minute Hydration Breaks in the first and second halves – of the 2026 FIFA World Cup since he started back in 2016. 

The “beautiful game’s” very own Dr. Evil, Mr. Infantino, has sold his presidency on the fact that he sees football (soccer) as a sport that connects communities and people all over the world. Through this vision-led mission, Mr. Infantino built up the organization from its limited global beginnings to the 48-participating team powerhouse it is today. With more representation comes more fans, and with more fans, comes more money to fuel corruption.

Just one year into his FIFA presidency, Mr. Infantino was named as possibly being connected to the defendants in the United State’s FIFA Corruption Case and their subsequent wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. He was never charged with the crimes, but was said to be greatly “dismayed” at the discovery. 14 powerful people, 7 of them FIFA officials, took plea deals and others were arrested, while Mr. Infantino sat back and looked ahead at his bright future. 

In another moment of clarity, Mr. Infantino went on to disparage the United States and other countries for their vocal disapproval of the abuses suffered by migrant workers involved in preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here, he offered misplaced verbal consolation to Qatar’s accounts payable team and said the workers were given work and pay and were proud to contribute to the building of community.

Rather than doing the humane thing and taking preventative and protective measures for the migrant workers as president of FIFA, Mr. Infantino addressed the world during a news conference at the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup about his gripes with his fellow colonizers for their disapproval of Qatar’s treatment of their migrant workers. He obnoxiously said, “What we Europeans have been doing for the last 3,000 years, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons.” 

Also during this speech, he addressed concerns for the LGBTQ+ community since homosexuality is a punishable offense of three years in jail in Qatar. Further stating, “I have been speaking about this topic with the highest leadership of the country several times, not just once. They have confirmed, and I can confirm, that everyone is welcome.” Though a nice sentiment, it’s hard to believe the man speaks the truth when he flies in an all-expenses paid Qatari jet every day.

In 2025, the bidding process for the host country for the 2034 FIFA World Cup was opened three years earlier than expected to a smaller bidding pool of just Asian and Oceanic countries. The winner of the bidding war was an uncontested Saudi Arabia. As the only submission, they won by default and will now host the globally impactful 2034 FIFA World Cup. According to the New York Times, Mr. Infantino faced backlash for this decision as it came out that he seemingly rigged the pool to be half the size, justifying it as a move towards equity, before heavily supporting Saudi Arabia as the host country. 

Back in 2018, Mr. Infantino began his close ties with Saudi Arabia, proposed – and ultimately rejected – a deal for a new competition that was revealed to be largely backed by SoftBank, a group backed largely by Saudi Arabia. In the years following, Mr. Infantino continued to stay personally connected to Saudi Arabia’s higher ups. Minky Worden, the director of advocacy group Global Initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said “It is intended to send a message, it’s like a visual symbol of putting your thumb on the scale.”

Flash forward to 2026, one big moment from this year’s FIFA World Cup came in the shape of USA forward, Folarin Balogun, and his untimely tumble which brought him a red card. One call to Mr. Infantino from US president Donald Trump and the USA’s worries of playing without Balogun (receiving a red card means you cannot play in your team’s next match) were cast aside. Good to know that as a powerful man, you don’t have to play by the rules.  

This was hugely unpopular and scrutinized by fellow football associations, such as the Football Association (FA). Mr. Infantino’s disregard for World Cup rules, which require diligent committee review over any overturn requests, tarnished the organization’s perceived respect for the game itself. 

On July 23, Norway’s FA chief filed an ethics complaint against Mr. Infantino to get him to admit his error in overturning the card due to external pressures. When one call from a powerful world leader can change the course of a match, it makes you wonder what larger dangers could be lurking in the shadows. 

Also coming off the decision to alter the rules of the red card, Alain Berset, the Secretary General to the Council of Europe, wrote in an open letter published on the date of this year's World Cup Final that he urges the need for a new integrity framework for 2030 as he alleges FIFA to be involved in scandals around money and power. 

In this letter he wrote, “A sanction [Balogun’s red card] suspended under pressure, within days, with no reasons given. The authority of referees called into question. Racist abuse of players, some of it from elected officials. Betting on every pass, every card, every corner. The celebration will end tonight. The questions will not.” 

Berset’s claims are not unfounded nor are they unsupported. 72 members of the European parliament wrote letters to the 27 EU football associations urging them to investigate Mr. Infantino’s involvement in Balogun’s red card. Regardless of the disturbing facts about Mr. Infantino, 200 of FIFA’s member associations have backed him for his attempt at re-election for a fourth four-year term in March. The soccer world is far from being over with Mr. Infantino, but every peek behind the curtain brings questions to his motives and slowly but surely breaks down his unrelenting power.