"To general bemusement, Gianni Infantino, the president of world football's governing body, Fifa, was pictured congratulating Donald Trump last month at the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, having been personally invited by the US president. Mr Infantino did not hold back in lauding the president's peace-making prowess, commenting: Now we can really write some new pages. Pages of togetherness, of peace, in a region which really, really needs it."
"The rest of us can be excused for wishing that Mr Infantino was spending less time on inappropriate Maga networking and self-aggrandising stunts, and more on addressing criticism of how he is performing in his day job. Ahead of this summer's men's World Cup, the sports academic and Guardian US columnist Leander Schaerlaeckens has justly accused Fifa of being fully focused on monetizing the sport, no matter the collateral damage."
"Recently unveiled ticketing arrangements for the tournament, which will take place in the US, Canada and Mexico, more than bear that judgment out. Apeing the superlative-laden bombastic style of his new best friend in politics, Mr Infantino has predicted the biggest, best and most inclusive World Cup ever. The first of those claims is literally true, since Fifa's desire to maximise receipts has led it to increase the number of participating teams from 32 to an unwieldy 48."
Gianni Infantino publicly congratulated Donald Trump at the Gaza peace summit and praised his peace-making, declaring the opportunity to "write some new pages" of togetherness and peace. FIFA will launch an annual peace prize with the inaugural award in Washington, creating an appearance that the prize will favor Trump. Infantino's political networking and self-aggrandising stunts draw criticism that he neglects core responsibilities. Sports academic Leander Schaerlaeckens accused FIFA of prioritizing monetization regardless of collateral damage. Recently unveiled World Cup ticketing arrangements and other commercial decisions have disappointed fans. FIFA increased World Cup teams from 32 to 48 to maximise receipts.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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