Infantino pledged £75 million to Trump’s Peace Council to rebuild Palestinian football infrastructure

February 20 – World governing body FIFA will invest $75 million to rebuild Gaza’s infrastructure as part of Donald Trump’s Peace Council plan.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has once again deepened ties with Donald Trump, committing world football’s governing body to a “true partnership” with the US president’s newly established peace initiative. On Thursday, in Washington DC, the football leader pledged that his organization would invest about $75 million in the program.

The partnership represents an unprecedented crossover between the world federation and the Peace Council, a highly controversial alliance of anti-democratic forces seen as opposing and challenging the UN. Infantino has faced significant criticism over his relationship with Trump, including awarding the quickly created FIFA Peace Prize to the US President.

At the same time, FIFA refused to suspend Israel from international matches over the war in Gaza, but it seems they will still receive a FIFA grant to rebuild much of the ground infrastructure that was deliberately destroyed by their soldiers with the tacit support of the Israeli FA.

For years, world football’s governing body has also ignored the issue of Israeli clubs playing in the West Bank. At the last FIFA Congress in Paraguay, FIFA once again rejected calls from the Palestine Football Association to take action, leaving the decision from FIFA to what FIFA Secretary General Matthias Grafstrom said was a committee led by a more ‘competent’ executive.

The world governing body presented the new initiative as a comprehensive recovery program for Gaza, Palestine, combining infrastructure, education and elite development, which will include a 50-pitch mini Arena, a full-size pitch, a FIFA Academy and a planned 20,000-seat national stadium.

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino defended the partnership. He said: “We don’t have to just rebuild houses or schools or hospitals or roads. We also have to rebuild and build society, emotions, hope and trust. And this is what football is about, my sport.” Cynics will ask where he and his sport were when facilities were destroyed and people and thousands of footballers were massacred by Israeli armed attacks.

The presence of FIFA and Infantino at the Peace Council also renewed questions about political neutrality and FIFA’s interest in and support for Trump’s national agenda.

Article 15 of the FIFA Code of Ethics requires political neutrality from FIFA officials. It states that: “In dealing with government institutions, national and international organizations, associations and groups, persons bound by this Code, in addition to complying with the basic rules of article 14, must remain politically neutral, in accordance with the principles and objectives of FIFA, confederations, associations, leagues and clubs, and generally act in a manner consistent with their function and integrity.”

Last December, NGO FairSquare filed an ethics complaint with FIFA over Infantino’s repeated violations of political neutrality rules.

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