FIFA’s plan to sell up to 20% of a new $20 billion commercial subsidiary to outside investors, including a fund linked to the Kushner family, has triggered a revolt from UEFA, CONCACAF and England’s FA, with a potential World Cup boycott now on the table. The dispute deepens existing concerns about transparency and accountability inside […]
Saudi Arabia has carried out its first direct military strikes inside Iraq since the current war began, retaliating for drone attacks that hit oil facilities and the capital, Riyadh. Iraq is now disputing the justification for the strikes, marking a sharp escalation in a region Saudi Arabia is simultaneously preparing to present to the world […]
A senior US Democrat has formally asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to appear before Congress over what he calls a campaign to curry favour with President Trump, citing the FIFA Peace Prize, a Trump Tower office lease and undisclosed gifts. The request adds a formal accountability dimension to concerns about FIFA’s governance that stretch directly […]
FIFA president Gianni Infantino closed the 2026 World Cup by telling critics to meditate, pray or watch football rather than question his leadership, a response that echoes a pattern stretching back through Qatar 2022 and earlier controversies. As Saudi Arabia’s preparations for 2034 begin in earnest, that pattern raises a governance question bigger than any […]
The International Olympic Committee has shut down a formal human rights complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino, ruling that the matter falls outside its jurisdiction — a decision that critics say exposes just how little independent oversight exists at the top of world football’s governing body, even as it prepares to hand the 2034 World […]
Less than 24 hours after signing a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, President Trump declared on social media that the deal is “totally subject” to the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords, a condition neither government had mentioned at signing. The episode has thrown the agreement into doubt and offered a fresh illustration of how […]
The United States has signed a civilian nuclear agreement giving Saudi Arabia a pathway to enrich its own uranium, a move nonproliferation experts warn could trigger a regional arms race. The deal adds a new dimension to concerns about the long-term security outlook of the Gulf as Saudi Arabia prepares to host the FIFA World […]
President Donald Trump is reportedly lobbying for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to become the next United Nations secretary-general, underscoring how close the two men have grown since the 2026 World Cup. The revelation has renewed longstanding criticism of FIFA’s governance, including the restricted, uncontested process that handed Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup. President Donald […]
Eight years out, a live regional war is already testing the assumptions FIFA made when it handed Saudi Arabia the World Cup. A new flashpoint in the Middle East is forcing an uncomfortable question back into view: what happens to a World Cup host when the host is a party to a shooting war? This […]
Saudi Arabia has blocked a United States military operation in the Strait of Hormuz and clashed with Washington over the handling of the Iran war, exposing how dependent Gulf security remains on shifting personal diplomacy. With Saudi Arabia set to host the FIFA World Cup 2034, the episode raises fresh questions about the region’s readiness […]