AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The world of soccer is facing its biggest crisis in years. At the center of the storm is FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who hatched a plan to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors and was then forced to abandon it after a global outcry. NPR's Rafael Nam tells us about the Swiss Italian lawyer who ascended to the pinnacle of global soccer and who's now clinging to his job.
RAFAEL NAM, BYLINE: It was the day before the 2022 men's World Cup, and one thing still really bothered Infantino - the coverage of Qatar's use of migrant workers to build stadiums. So he had a message for the media. He, Infantino, stood with Qatar and with Arab countries and with Africa, and he didn't stop there.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GIANNI INFANTINO: Today, I feel gay. Today, I feel disabled. Today, I feel a migrant worker.
NAM: It was meant as a message of support to those who feel marginalized. Instead, it became a source of ridicule. It was vintage Infantino, big ambitions and sweeping vision, but it often comes with the Infantino baggage. He was first elected in 2016 at a time when FIFA was reeling from a sweeping corruption scandal. He promised to clean house, but he also promised that soccer would now belong to everybody, not just Europe. Professor Alan McDougall at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, acknowledges that Infantino deserves some credit for that.
ALAN MCDOUGALL: I think it's fair to say that in terms of governance, spreading the global game even further globally, that Infantino has been, you know, relatively successful.
NAM: Infantino is a serial networker and a big-time charmer, and he's used those skills to become an evangelist for soccer. In the most recent World Cup, which ended last month, he attended over 40 matches across the three host countries. But as he's racked up miles growing the sport, he also racked up one controversy after another, many of them involving money and power.
Nonetheless, this lawyer who first made his ascent through the back trenches of European soccer consolidated his power, thanks in large part to the billions of dollars that he helped bring in for FIFA members. But all that Infantino baggage - it was starting to add up. Last year, he created a FIFA Peace Prize, and then awarded it to...
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
INFANTINO: The 45th and 47th president of the United States of America, Mr. Donald J. Trump, please.
(APPLAUSE)
NAM: More controversies followed. Record prices for World Cup tickets sparked anger. FIFA stunned many soccer officials by suspending a red card to U.S. player Folarin Balogun. Until it all eventually hit a tipping point when Infantino hatched a secretive deal to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. He believed it would create even more riches for FIFA members. Instead, it sparked uncomfortable questions that have always swirled around Infantino. Why? Is this for the benefit of FIFA or for his own? The powerful European soccer federation has called for his ouster. Liam Rice, who teaches at Bryant University, is still puzzled why Infantino proposed it.
LIAM RICE: They don't need this money. That's the most interesting thing to me, right? They already have a vast amount of reserves.
NAM: Today, Infantino and FIFA are reeling as members wonder, how did things get this far? A man who had started with a promise of reform is caught up in a massive governance scandal of his own. And a man who said he would spread soccer's riches to all corners of the world is now simply trying to hold on to his job. Professor McDougall, for one, says it's been a long time coming.
MCDOUGALL: Given the trajectory of Infantino's presidency to ever increasing autocracy, grandiose ambitions, cozying up to figures of political power around the world, it's perhaps not surprising.
NAM: So more than 10 years after a major corruption scandal, FIFA may yet again face the need to clean house, and it may very well start with another change at the top.
Rafael Nam, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.