Michel Platini, the former UEFA president, has reignited a bitter feud with FIFA’s incumbent leader Gianni Infantino, accusing him of favoring “the rich and powerful” and morphing into an autocrat. This public broadside, delivered in a January 2026 Guardian interview, underscores persistent tensions at the pinnacle of global football governance, raising alarms about who truly […]
Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Riyadh Metro, touted as the vital artery of the capital’s transport network, stands exposed as a monument to human suffering through accounts from migrant laborers from Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. These workers, lured by promises of opportunity, plunged into a nightmare of crippling debt, grueling shifts in scorching desert heat, and wages […]
The retrial of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini is more than a legal footnote in football history—it is a revealing window into the governance culture of one of the world’s most powerful sporting institutions. At the center of the case lies a $2 million payment made to Platini in 2011, […]
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, staged across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, was meant to showcase football as a unifying global spectacle. Instead, it has become a mirror of escalating geopolitical rupture. Following US–Israeli air strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered a wider regional conflict, Iran’s football authorities […]
The 2026 World Cup was sold as football’s great expansion: more teams, more hosts, more unity. Instead, it is becoming a live stress test of whether FIFA is still capable of political neutrality in an era when the US president, Donald Trump, openly treats the tournament as a tool of statecraft and personal power. From […]
In the spring of 2015, the image of handcuffed football officials in Zurich’s Baur au Lac hotel became a global symbol of institutional rot. The dramatic intervention by Swiss and U.S. authorities into FIFA’s operations exposed a network of alleged bribery, racketeering, and opaque financial flows that stretched across decades. Publicly humiliated and legally cornered, […]
FIFA’s parking pricing for the 2026 World Cup in the United States has ignited widespread outrage, with fees often exceeding match ticket costs. This issue underscores tensions between profitability and fan accessibility, particularly for disabled attendees, as reports highlight premiums for ADA spaces. Fans and advocates argue these prices alienate everyday supporters in a car-dependent […]
FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed complete confidence in Mexico’s ability to host 2026 World Cup matches during a press conference in Colombia on February 24, 2026, just days after the Mexican military killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. This statement followed reports of widespread violence, […]
The excitement surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup—set to be the largest and most ambitious tournament in football history—is being overshadowed by growing frustration among fans struggling to navigate FIFA’s opaque ticketing process. The latest wave of confusion erupted after thousands of supporters received emails promising an “additional ticket opportunity” without clear instructions or timing. […]
Saudi Arabia has ramped up oil production and exports as a contingency for potential US military action against Iran, raising fresh concerns over regional stability critical for mega-event hosting. This development, reported by Reuters on 25 February 2026, challenges FIFA’s human rights, transparency, labour rights, and press freedom benchmarks for the 2034 World Cup host […]