Gianni Infantino’s Politics Are Finally Catching Up With Him
FIFA’s divisive Swiss president is racing to avoid the fallout from flying too close to Donald Trump.
Gianni Infantino has appeared ever-present at World Cup matches, often flying between venues to watch multiple games in one day.
Photographer: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
When Swiss law enforcement agents raided the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich in May 2015, arresting seven FIFA officials on behalf of the FBI, it ushered in a new era at world football’s governing body. The organization’s disgraced president, Sepp Blatter, resigned later that year, and Gianni Infantino was elected as his successor in February 2016. A member of FIFA’s Reform Committee, Infantino was perceived as a genial, unthreatening figure capable of restoring transparency and decency after years of rolling scandals.
A decade later it’s clear those hopes haven’t been fulfilled. Infantino’s presidency has been characterized by furor over governance and his close relationship with autocratic leaders. Yet each controversy has come and gone, doing more damage to FIFA’s reputation than to Infantino’s standing.