Admiration of Gianni Infantino for Putin, risk for FIFA

By Rob Harris

The president of the FIFA, Giani Infantinoremains the proud recipient of the medal of the Russian Order of Friendship, awarded by Vladimir Putin.

Not even Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was enough for the world soccer leader to publicly distance himself from the autocratic leader.

The 2019 ceremony in the Kremlin, where Infantino was given state honors, served to strengthen the personal relationship with Putin.

“This is not the end,” Infantino said. “It is just the beginning of our fruitful cooperation and interaction.”

Infantino became closer to Putin’s orbit, even when some asked if it was convenient to give in to the dictates of the Russian president’s vanity.

The Putin who hosted the 2018 World Cup is not far removed from the one who ordered the military attack on Ukraine the week before.

Russia had already annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea in 2014, the same year a Malaysian Airlines flight was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine, leaving 298 dead. The Dutch government has blamed Russia, which denies involvement.

There was also a state-sponsored doping scandal and cover-up, which led to Russia being banned from several international sporting events. Russian athletes can compete as participants of a neutral delegation in events such as the Olympics and the World Cup.

How sensible was it for Infantino to tell Putin four years ago: “we are a team”? Infantino appears to choose power and profit over morality when it comes to dealing with rulers with whom he has a personal relationship.

After all, FIFA had even pushed to hold the Beach Soccer World Cup in Moscow last year, when the World Anti-Doping Agency ordered sports organizations not to hold events in Russia. “Enormously well done,” Infantino told Putin on his favorite social network, LinkedIn.

Infantino is hesitant to punish Russia or blame Putin directly for the unprovoked attack on Ukraine — much less for the doping scandal. Perhaps the reason is that the FIFA chief is determined to stick to the statement he made during the 2018 World Cup: “We now have a new image of Russia.”

FIFA did not respond to questions about whether Infantino had used his closeness to Putin to urge him to withdraw his forces from Ukraine at a time of mounting destruction and death toll.

In the days after the invasion, FIFA dithered as the world demanded that sports bodies take action. UEFA withdrew the Champions League final from Saint Petersburg.

Last Thursday, Infantino said: “FIFA also condemns the use of force by Russia in Ukraine.”

However, Infantino did not heed the call of the European soccer federations to suspend Russia at the weekend. Instead, he issued only an edict that was hardly a punishment, allowing Russia to continue playing as long as their flag was not used and their anthem was not played.

This would have been a pre-war requirement anyway if Russia had qualified for the World Cup if WADA’s punishment was fully enforced.

Cezary Kulesza, president of the Polish soccer federation, expressed his shock at the “disastrous decision” by the FIFA office, which does not include the head of the governing body in Europe. “No to leniency towards Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” Kulesza stressed.

And in 24 hours, FIFA corrected. On Monday, he imposed a full suspension on Russian teams, leaving the country out of the World Cup qualifying playoffs.

The curious thing was that the FIFA statement did not mention the reason for the measure. He limited himself to expressing hope that “the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and quickly.”

David Bernstein, who as president of the English Football Association worked to end Sepp Blatter’s tenure as FIFA president amid the scandal, has noted that Infantino seems prone to close association with “infamous leaders”. Particularly Putin.

“The relationship is simply too close,” Bernstein told the BBC. “I think his reaction has done a lot of damage to FIFA in particular, and hasn’t given much credit to football in general.”

Infantino has allowed sport to cover up Putin’s acts. It has even allowed the Russian leader to display an open disdain for integrity. Similarly, he has dismissed human rights activists’ concerns about constant visits to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, even appearing in a propaganda video for the kingdom.

Infantino, a leader known for using his LinkedIn account to praise national leaders as he travels around the world, withheld his own views from the Russian suspension announcement.

Perhaps he wants to preserve that friendship with Putin. Infantino still has the medal, the symbol of that relationship. And he doesn’t seem ready to replace his partner.