Gianni Infantino, Peacemaker
Infantino’s diplomacy is not the diplomacy of treaties and compromises. It is the diplomacy of branding and spectacle. Where others see conflict, he sees opportunity.
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If there’s one thing history has shown, it’s that nothing resolves geopolitical crises quite like a photo opportunity.
So when Gianni Infantino—the president of FIFA and the so-called “King of Soccer”—strode onto the stage at the Gaza Peace Summit, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with presidents and diplomats for a group photo, one could almost feel the world begin to heal.
In a Monday post on Instagram, Infantino stated that he “attended the extremely important Summit for Peace in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt co-chaired by United States President Donald J. Trump and Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi aimed at establishing a new era of regional security and stability.”
Infantino is no stranger to global diplomacy. This is the man who once vowed that football would “unite the world”; who told the United Nations that “we are all one team”; who accompanied Donald Trump on a Middle East visit and shared a heart-to-heart with him in the Oval Office, presenting the president with a personalized red card to brandish at those who step out of line; and who was even applauded by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for his efforts to “build friendship and unity through sport.”
In his mind, Infantino’s moral authority is beyond question. This is the same visionary who told the world, during the World Cup in Qatar, “Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay.” Never mind that this was said in a country where thousands of migrant workers died building the stadiums for his great unifying spectacle.
Words, as the Peacemaker knows, are more important than actions.
Infantino’s diplomacy is not the diplomacy of treaties and compromises. It is the diplomacy of branding and spectacle. Where others see conflict, he sees opportunity. Why broker peace when you can monetize it?
Imagine the possibilities: the “Peace Cup,” a 96-team tournament held in the demilitarized zone between two historic enemies. North and South Korea? Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo? India and Pakistan? Israel and Palestine? For Infantino, anything is possible, so long as it is sponsored by Coca-Cola and Aramco.
When confronted with accusations of hypocrisy—befriending autocrats or selling football’s soul to petro-states, for example—Infantino remains undeterred. When accused of abetting genocide for refusing to suspend Israel in the face of athleticide in Gaza, he simply reminds us that football transcends politics, right before taking the stage with whichever head of state has just signed the latest multi-billion-dollar hosting deal (Saudi, probably).
In just eight months time, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico will co-host the biggest World Cup in history, against the backdrop of trade wars, economic boycotts, visa bans, ICE raids, and looming American authoritarianism. Where others foresee a trainwreck, Infantino sees his own personal peace summit in motion.
Infantino’s legacy as a peacemaker may not lie in ending wars, but in redefining what “peace” means. In his world, peace is not justice, reconciliation, or equality. Peace is a good broadcast deal and a viral PR moment.
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