FIFA President
The strange guest – what was Infantino doing at the Gaza summit?
It seemed very strange: Fifa boss Gianni Infantino was a guest at the Gaza peace summit in Egypt – as part of the big production in Trump’s spirit.
Some observers will have rubbed their eyes in surprise when they saw it Peace summit for Gaza in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. A striking bald man appeared who was not necessarily expected among all the heads of state and government. But the president of the world football association Fifa himself was right in the middle of this historic summit, with which US President Donald Trump sealed his peace plan for the battered Gaza Strip and the return of the Israeli hostages.
Gianni Infantino55 years old, was photographed with Trump including a thumbs-up gesture. The Swiss-Italian football official stood in a row next to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz when the US President gave his speech (Trump had called the heads of government and representatives of the EU and the UN onto the stage as a backdrop, only Marcon successfully squeezed out). The Egyptian newspaper “Al-Masri al-Jum” correctly described the Swiss as the “strangest” guest at the summit.
Gianni Infantino: Proximity to the powerful as a business principle
Infantino’s tendency to maintain close proximity to the world’s powerful is a business principle. Infantino has been appearing at important global political events for years. His ties to the Arab autocrats in the Gulf are particularly close. For years, Infantino has had a second home in the Qatari capital Qatar, where the World Cup took place in 2022. To the same extent, Infantino sought closeness to Trump. The next World Cup tournament will take place next year in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Saudi Arabia has secured the hosting of the 2034 World Cup with the active help of Infantino.
Viewed from this perspective, a large American-European Middle East peace summit like the one in Sharm el-Sheikh is virtually a must. All of Infantino’s “good friends” were there. The FIFA President also spoke at the United Nations General Assembly. But this time his appearance seemed strange – after all, it wasn’t about football or sports-political issues.
Infantino’s global network
Critics accuse him of being too close to autocracies like Saudi Arabia, which do not share Western values, something Infantino cares little about. Even allegations of corruption, such as those surrounding the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar, do not dissuade him from his path. Infantino maintains his global network as best he can. He was probably in Sharm el-Sheikh at Trump’s invitation, who staged the summit in his own spirit as a brilliant peace event – and Infantino was also allowed to give a thumbs-up there, so to speak, as the sports-political peace angel that he likes to see himself as.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
