02/08, 16:22
Infantino, private capital and football power
(Süddeutsche Zeitung | Von Martin Schneider)
5 days in discussion
Editorial summary
Gianni Infantino faces pushback over plans that would open the World Cup to private investors and deepen FIFA’s commercial logic. Critics say the move weakens governance and football’s public rules, while defenders treat it as business discipline that can expand the tournament.
Lead piece
Assessment of Čeferin’s political skill and strategic positioning within European football governance.
Key actors
Gianni InfantinoFifaSwitzerlandUEFA
Discussion: Tagesspiegel, L'Humanité, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Expressen, Aftonbladet, NZZ, Cicero, The Guardian, Die Presse (Meinung)
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Die Gier des Gianni Infantino: Der Fußball verteidigt einen Rest seiner Seele
(Tagesspiegel | Martin Einsiedler)
Reading: Football is being sold to the highest bidder, and the fan is the last safeguard preserving its soul.
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Fifa : une fin de règne pour Gianni Infantino ?
(L'Humanité | Lionel Venturini)
Reading: Infantino's attempt to commercialize FIFA further is portrayed as a backlash-triggering move that exposes conflicts of interest, threatens governance legitimacy, and may mark the beginning of the end of his reign.
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Initiative après initiative, Infantino pousse le football mondial dans un abîme mercantile
(L'Humanité | Laurent Mouloud)
Reading: The author argues that Infantino’s initiatives subordinate football to profit, intensify dependence on capital markets, and should be resisted as a betrayal of football’s social and collective values.
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Katharina Greve: Gescheiterte Pläne von Infantino
(Süddeutsche Zeitung | Katharina Greve)
Reading: Infantino’s plans have failed, and this is presented as a satirical or critical judgment.
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Infantinos mygel kan stoppas av EU
(Expressen | Ylva Nilsson)
Reading: FIFA’s commercialization scheme is not just unpopular but legally vulnerable in Europe, where EU rules can block abusive market behavior and protect football's structure.
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Ta kampen mot idrottens rufflare
(Aftonbladet)
Reading: Football is already overrun by investors, oligarchs, and authoritarian money, so criticism of Infantino is justified but overdue; the European sports model should be defended against further commercialization.
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Der Kampf um die Seele des Fußballs: Die Gier hat Grenzen, aber freut euch nicht zu früh
(Tagesspiegel | Martin Einsiedler)
Reading: Football’s commercialization is systemic, with Infantino as a symptom rather than an exception; UEFA’s opposition is compromised, and the fan base remains the only credible force able to restrain the sport’s decline.
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KOMMENTAR - Eine Fussball-WM mit 64 Teilnehmern? Ist doch nur logisch!
(NZZ | Chanchal Biswas)
Reading: Der Autor befürwortet die Logik des Vorhabens als betriebswirtschaftlich konsequent und deutet an, dass Marktkorrekturen Übertreibungen begrenzen werden.
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Infantinos Geldgier - Der große Fifa-Ausverkauf
(Cicero | Krischke)
Reading: The author presents the new Fifa investment vehicle as a cynical commercialization of the organization and criticizes the weak resistance from football officials who should be pushing back harder.
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The Guardian view on selling off the World Cup: a red-card offence by Gianni Infantino | Editorial
(The Guardian | Editorial)
Reading: The World Cup is a global public good that FIFA is supposed to protect; selling stakes to investors would deepen commercialization, harm the sport’s structure, and betray football’s interests.
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Die verkaufte Fußball-WM: Nur Europa kann Infantino stoppen [premium]
(Die Presse (Meinung))
Reading: The commercialization plan is morally corrosive and strategically dangerous; because FIFA’s power rests on global participation and European market importance, Europe may be the only actor capable of applying meaningful pressure.