Дэлхийн аварга шалгаруулах тэмцээний төгсгөлд Испанийн шигшээ баг цомыг гардан авсан нь ФИФА-гийн ерөнхийлөгч Жанни Инфантиногийн хувьд томоохон амжилт байсан ч улс төрийн нөлөөлөл түүний нэр хүндэд сэв суулгалаа.
Нью-Жерсигийн МетЛайф цэнгэлдэх хүрээлэнд болсон финалын тоглолтын дараа АНУ-ын Ерөнхийлөгч Дональд Трамп болон Жанни Инфантино нар Испанийн багийн ахлагч Родрид цомыг гардуулав. Тэмцээний үеэр АНУ-ын довтлогч Фоларин Балогуныг Босни ба Херцеговины эсрэг тоглолтод улаан хуудсаар торгосон шийдвэрийг Дональд Трамп эсэргүүцэж, ФИФА-гийн ерөнхийлөгч рүү утасдсанаар уг шийтгэлийг цуцалсан нь томоохон дуулиан дэгдээв. Энэхүү үйл явдал нь ФИФА-гийн сахилгын хорооны бие даасан байдалд эргэлзээ төрүүлж, улс төрийн оролцоо тэмцээний туршид сүүдэр мэт дагав.
Инфантино 48 баг оролцсон, 10 тэрбум гаруй ам.долларын орлого олох төлөвтэй уг тэмцээнийг амжилттай болсон гэж үзэж байгаа ч түүний хувийн онгоцоор олон тоглолт үзэхээр аялсан явдал болон тоглолтын үеэрх ус уух завсарлага зэрэг шинэчлэлүүд шүүмжлэл дагууллаа. Хэдийгээр Иран болон бусад улсын төлөөлөгчдийн зүгээс гомдол гарсан ч ФИФА-гийн удирдлага тэмцээнийг санхүүгийн хувьд маш амжилттай болсон хэмээн онцолж байна.
Тэмцээний дараа Инфантино 2030 оны дэлхийн аваргыг 64 багтай зохион байгуулах төлөвлөгөөгөө хэдийнэ танилцуулаад байна. ФИФА-гийн ерөнхийлөгчийн хувьд тэрээр дахин нэр дэвших хүсэлтэй байгаа бөгөөд гишүүн холбоодын санхүүгийн өсөлтийг харгалзан үзвэл түүнийг дэмжих байр суурь хэвээр үлдэх төлөвтэй байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
The 2026 World Cup almost belonged to Gianni Infantino.
It was the FIFA president’s vision in dazzling technicolour: multiple host nations, 104 matches, full stadia despite exorbitant ticket prices, an additional 16 teams to take the overall tally to 48, and projected revenues of more than $10billion (£7.4bn).
So as Infantino, wearing a suit paired with pristine white FIFA-branded trainers, and U.S. President Donald Trump handed the World Cup trophy to Spain captain Rodri on the pitch at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday evening, it should have been his crowning moment — further cementing his untouchable status, no matter how uncomfortable some find his methods.
The FIFA president was able to ride out the criticism of attending two matches per day at this tournament via private jet, and the complaints around its most controversial innovation — mid-half hydration breaks for the teams during all games, even the ones played indoors, especially the commercialisation of them — were relatively tame.
But Infantino, who is referred to as ‘P’ (short for president) by some staff at FIFA, global football’s governing body, was unable to shake off the defining moment of the World Cup.
This involved Trump picking up the phone to call him to complain about U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which initially ruled him out of their round-of-16 game against Belgium.
What followed was FIFA’s disciplinary committee, which the governing body insists is independent, suspending Balogun’s one-game ban, meaning he was eligible to play in the USMNT’s most important match for decades.
On Saturday night at a FIFA event a few miles east of the final’s venue in New York City’s Trump Tower, a building where the body rents office space from the sitting U.S. president, Trump thanked Infantino for “another great decision”. But it wasn’t universally viewed that way, with the controversy proving to be a significant blow to the latter’s credibility.
Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump take centre-stage after the World Cup final (Elsa/Getty Images)
Infantino, 56, speaking alongside Trump, noted how this World Cup had “exceeded all expectations”, before asking the room to applaud the American.
“This is the greatest human, social and cultural event mankind has ever witnessed,” Infantino added. “For this, I thank you. One country will be world champion, but the world has already won, America has won, FIFA has won.”
Until Trump’s intervention over Balogun, Infantino could have made the strongest argument yet that, for all of his fawning towards the current U.S. administration, the result would have justified the means. It is now harder for that case to be made, and a cloud of political interference will hang over this summer’s tournament.
Infantino’s World Cup started in Mexico City, where he addressed the world’s media ahead of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, and drew widespread criticism for his response to a question over whether he had already lost control of the World Cup, following Omar Artan, a Somali referee who was meant to officiate in games at the tournament, being denied entry to the United States.
Since then, and as detailed by a website created to track emissions throughout the tournament, Infantino has travelled over 100,000km (62,000 miles) in a private jet provided by Qatar Airways, a FIFA sponsor, in an attempt to attend two matches each day.
FIFA sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, noted that Infantino would watch the games he was not in attendance for — mainly if he was travelling — in the back of his chauffeur-driven car or on that jet.
Along with the plane, and as part of FIFA’s deal with the host cities, Infantino receives a police escort when he travels, something The Athletic witnessed in Miami as he departed the Ritz-Carlton on South Beach following the FIFA Summit in June.
Ahead of the semi-finals, Infantino also travelled to Doha, Qatar, to attend the funeral of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Qatar’s former Emir, marking it with a post on his Instagram account.
It is easy to know when Infantino is at a World Cup match as the Host Broadcast Service (HBS), the production house of the World Cup which is 49 per cent-owned by FIFA, cuts to images of him during the first half, and usually before its hydration break. An agreement between FIFA and HBS outlines that there must be a “dignitary shot” in every half of a fixture to show the highest-ranking officials at a game.
It is away from the pitch, however, where most of the spotlight has been on Infantino, whether it is the criticism directed towards him by Iran captain Mehdi Taremi over his team’s myriad issues during the tournament, or UEFA, European football’s governing body, saying FIFA crossed “a red line” with the Balogun controversy.
The same FIFA source said Infantino “has to deal with a lot of noise” from people in football “with vested interests undermining him for their own game”, and insisted that he “always focuses on the greater good”.
It is worth remembering that at the World Cup group-stage draw in Washington, D.C., in December, Infantino presented Trump with the newly-created FIFA Peace Prize trophy, only for the U.S. president to then sign off on a series of military interventions by American forces, including in Venezuela, Iran and the Caribbean Sea.
Infantino with his wife, Leena Al Ashqar, at the final (Eva Marie Uzcategui – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Some may also question whether this World Cup’s exorbitant ticket prices are for the “greater good”, even if FIFA will argue that, as a not-for-profit organisation, that money gets invested back into football.
Not long before Spain and Argentina got Sunday’s final underway, Infantino, via a post on his Instagram story, directed his millions of followers to a website where, for $12,000, they can purchase the “first Champions Ring in World Cup history”.
Infantino, in contrast to Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022), did not participate in a closing press conference before the final. Nor did he appear at a media event with Rio Ferdinand, the former England defender, at Fanatics Fest in New York City on Friday.
His appearance had been listed on the event organiser’s schedule, but had disappeared by Friday morning. In a story about the Fanatics event published on FIFA’s website, the body referred to Infantino as a “football icon”, including him in a list of sporting luminaries alongside David Beckham, Kaka, Antoine Griezmann and Roberto Carlos.
For all that the controversies around referee Artan, Iran’s difficulties and Balogun’s suspended ban absorbed a lot of oxygen, the football over the past six weeks has been brilliant. And that is what FIFA will lean into, alongside the tournament’s commercial success.
Infantino has recently discussed the prospect of expanding the tournament again for the next edition in 2030, this time to 64 teams, and he can point to the success of this first 48-nation version as evidence that the plan might work.
He has already announced his intention to run again for what would be his final term, as per the governing body’s statutes, as FIFA president. Even if a candidate emerges to challenge him, Infantino already has significant widespread support from the 200-plus member associations across the globe.
The money is rolling in at a faster and more substantial rate than ever, and, as he leaves the United States, even in the face of the incredibly bruising Balogun episode, that is ultimately the biggest vote winner as far as the member associations are concerned.
And for Infantino, who has again proved capable of brushing off the fiercest criticism, that will likely matter far more than his reputation in the court of public opinion or the organisation he leads.
