Infantino's World Cup sell-off debacle has rocked football but Fifa's crisis has deep and rotten roots

Gianni Infantino’s World Cup “sell-off” plan triggered a rapid political and governance backlash that has shaken FIFA, but the article argues the crisis has deeper roots. It traces the turmoil to FIFA’s 2010 Zurich decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar instead of the U.S., and to years of corruption investigations, including the role of Chuck Blazer, the CONCACAF official later tied to evidence used in arrests at Zurich’s Baur au Lac hotel in 2015 and the resignation of Sepp Blatter days later. The piece recounts Platini’s involvement, his eventual suspension and later clearance, and highlights Infantino’s ascent to FIFA’s presidency in February 2016 after defeating Sheikh Salman.