Overview of Trump, Infantino and the political history of the World Cup
This Financial Times Rachman Review episode explores how the World Cup has always been shaped by politics, power, and controversy—on and off the pitch. Gideon Rachman speaks with FT journalist and author Simon Kuper about his book World Cup Fever, using the current tournament’s refereeing disputes and Trump–Infantino relationship as a springboard into the broader history of World Cup manipulation, conspiracy theories, and the tournament’s deep connection to nationalism and geopolitics.
Key Themes and Takeaways
Politics has always been part of the World Cup
- The episode argues that the World Cup is never purely “just football.”
- Political influence, institutional bias, and national interests have repeatedly affected referee appointments, tournament outcomes, and FIFA’s image.
- The current wave of suspicion is not new—it’s a modern version of a long-running pattern.
Trump and Infantino intensified distrust
- Simon Kuper says Donald Trump’s close relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino has helped fuel “Trumpian” conspiracy theories around the tournament.
- Trump’s public intervention in a U.S. player’s suspension is presented as an unusually open example of political interference.
- Unlike older forms of backstage influence, Trump’s style made the intervention visible and therefore more provocative.
FIFA has a long history of questionable decisions
The conversation cites several historical examples suggesting FIFA has often been vulnerable to political pressure or favoritism:
- 1962: Brazilian star Garrincha reportedly had a suspension lifted after pressure from the Brazilian government.
- 2002 South Korea World Cup: South Korea’s surprising run to the semifinals is recalled as a tournament filled with controversial refereeing decisions, especially in matches against Portugal, Italy, and Spain.
- 1978 Argentina World Cup: The hosts’ 6–0 win over Peru, amid reports of political pressure from the junta and possible diplomatic/business deal-making, remains one of the most infamous examples of suspected influence.
- 2010/2015 FIFA corruption scandal: The U.S. played a major role in exposing FIFA corruption after the shock 2022 bid result gave the tournament to Qatar instead of the widely expected U.S. bid.
Conspiracy theories around World Cups are not new
- The hosts discuss how every football culture tends to interpret controversial decisions through its own historical lens.
- Northern Europeans may default to trusting institutions more, while Latin American, Arab, and southern European audiences often assume hidden forces are at work.
- Examples include:
- England vs. Argentina in 1966
- Maradona’s “Hand of God”
- The perception that home nations or powerful teams receive favorable treatment
Referees and superstars can shape outcomes without an actual “fix”
- Kuper distinguishes between outright corruption and the subtler ways power affects matches.
- Referees are human and often influenced by superstar aura.
- Great players like Messi, Zidane, and Roberto Carlos can affect decisions simply by being admired or feared.
- Many controversial calls are framed as judgment calls rather than proof of corruption.
VAR reduced some myths, but not controversy
- Video Assistant Referee was supposed to make football fairer and more objective.
- Instead, many disputes now center on whether VAR itself is applied consistently and fairly.
- The episode emphasizes that football rules often involve interpretation, meaning controversy is inevitable.
Broader Football Insights
Western Europe dominates modern international football
- Kuper argues that since 2006, the top World Cup teams have overwhelmingly come from Western Europe, plus Croatia and Messi’s Argentina.
- He attributes this to:
- Better tactical understanding
- Strong youth development systems
- State-supported access to football pitches
- Cross-border learning among European football cultures
Football is partly “geometry”
- One of Kuper’s recurring ideas is that football is about spatial intelligence:
- expanding space when attacking
- shrinking space when defending
- Countries that systematically teach this from childhood have an edge at elite level.
World Cup as Myth, Fate, and Drama
Controversy is part of what makes the tournament memorable
- The episode notes that iconic World Cup moments often include contentious refereeing:
- 1966 goal-line controversy
- Maradona’s “Hand of God”
- Zidane’s red card in the 2006 final
- These incidents become part of the tournament’s legend, not just its scandal.
The World Cup mirrors life
- Kuper describes the World Cup as an allegory of fate:
- luck matters
- strong teams can still lose
- a single moment can overturn everything
- That unpredictability is a major reason the tournament remains compelling.
FIFA, Peace, and the Politics of Image
FIFA’s peace messaging has deep roots
- The episode traces FIFA’s “football brings peace” narrative back to Jules Rimet, the founder of the World Cup.
- Rimet, a veteran of World War I, believed football could foster peace between nations.
- This idealism shaped the World Cup’s identity, even when reality often contradicted it.
Infantino and Trump both use peace rhetoric
- Both leaders are presented as drawn to grand gestures and symbolic diplomacy.
- FIFA’s “Football unites the world” messaging and Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize ambitions overlap in an almost theatrical way.
- The episode frames the recent FIFA “Peace Prize” award to Trump as both absurd and historically consistent with FIFA’s self-image.
Closing Reflection
- Despite all the corruption, conspiracy theories, and political maneuvering, Kuper argues that the World Cup’s appeal survives because the drama is inseparable from the sport.
- He ends with a journalist’s caution: predicting a single World Cup match is usually a fool’s errand because luck plays such a large role.
- The episode ultimately suggests that the World Cup is best understood not as a clean sporting contest, but as a global stage where football, power, nationalism, and myth constantly collide.