Before the Qatar World Cup began, FIFA launched a social campaign called “Football Unites the World”. FIFA acknowledged “the world is divided […] with conflicts and global crises”, but promised the World Cup “will bring people together to cross borders, unite and celebrate”.
It’s a similar message to that of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in which the Olympic Games are said to “unify” the world of nations. Such aspirations aren’t simply about bringing countries together to play sport under agreed rules: these two global bodies also believe they have some capacity to shape international relations.
Indeed, both the FIFA and IOC presidents were invited speakers at the recent G20 Summit in Bali. The FIFA supremo, Gianni Infantino, drew upon the fabled Olympic truce, urging for a ceasefire to the Russian invasion of Ukraine for the length of the men’s World Cup in Qatar.
