UEFA, European football's governing body, has forced FIFA president Gianni Infantino to abandon a plan to sell a stake in global football to private investors, after threatening that European national teams would boycott the next World Cup unless the proposal was withdrawn.
Officially, the dispute was about the governance of the world's most popular sport. But the geopolitical dimension of the row was clear from the start.
The central investor behind the proposed privatisation plan was Josh Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law. Infantino has cultivated a close relationship with the American president in recent years, even creating a special "FIFA Peace Prize" in his honour. FIFA also opened offices inside Trump Tower in New York, with Infantino present, and he took part in the unveiling of Trump's so-called "Board of Peace."
Anger over 'Americanization' of the World Cup
The recent World Cup, hosted mainly in the United States, had already stirred strong dissatisfaction in Europe over what critics called the "Americanization" of the sport. The complaints focused on the introduction of hydration breaks that allowed television adverts to be shown, and an extended half-time built around entertainment more reminiscent of the Super Bowl than a World Cup final.
That frustration came to a head when details of Infantino's plan to sell a stake in FIFA leaked. The revelation that the deal had been shaped behind closed doors, in cooperation with Kushner and without any open competitive process, provoked strong reactions across European football.
The controversy also revived memories of an earlier flashpoint. When Belgium beat the United States at the recent World Cup, Belgian players celebrated by mockingly imitating the awkward dance moves associated with Donald Trump's father. The gesture was widely read as a jab at the American president, who had previously claimed he intervened with FIFA to have a suspension lifted on a leading United States striker so the player could face Belgium.
A rare unified stand from Europe
Trump's second presidential term has proved difficult for Europe on several fronts. The European Commission accepted a trade agreement that left American tariffs in place without countermeasures, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte watched without any substantial pushback as Trump publicly criticised European allies.
On football, however, Europe managed to present a united front, win international backing and ultimately get its way. UEFA's warning that European national teams would boycott the next World Cup found support from both the Asian confederation and the confederation representing North and Central America.
Within days, Infantino withdrew his proposal, and his continued hold on the FIFA presidency has now been called into question.
Why football succeeded where trade and security did not
The question is why Europe proved so effective on football when it failed to assert itself on trade or security. The answer is straightforward: European football still dominates the game globally. The world's strongest clubs are based in Europe, and five of the last six World Cups have been won by European national teams.
The fact that Trump himself was not directly involved in the FIFA plan also made it easier for European governments to intervene. Demanding Infantino's exit was clearly a simpler proposition than a direct political confrontation with the American president.
Kushner family setbacks beyond FIFA
The episode also highlighted the difficulty the Kushner family has had building influence in Europe. Charles Kushner, father of Josh and Jared, currently serves as United States ambassador to France, but his relations with the government of Emmanuel Macron are so strained that he was barred earlier this year from meeting French ministers.
Separately, Jared Kushner's plans to build a luxury tourist resort in a protected area of Albania triggered mass protests, dubbed the "flamingo revolution," putting significant pressure on the government of Edi Rama.
A similar outcome met an investment planned for Belgrade, where a Trump Tower had been proposed on the site of the former Yugoslav defence ministry. After prosecutors opened an organised crime investigation into aspects of the project, Kushner's investment company withdrew, saying that important projects should unite people rather than divide them.
Infantino adopted similar language in explaining the withdrawal of his own plan, arguing it had caused unforeseen divisions. Yet while his proposal split the global football community, it ended up uniting Europe.
A symbolic win for European football
As Jurgen Klopp likes to say, football is the most important of the unimportant things. The victory over FIFA, and over American influence in the sport, is undoubtedly a symbolic success for Europe.
