Why was FIFA’s Gianni Infantino at the Gaza summit?

Infantino raises FIFA neutrality questions

At US President Donald Trump’s invitation, FIFA president Gianni Infantino stood alongside world leaders at the Gaza cease-fire summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. He posed with Trump and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and pledged help to rebuild sports facilities in Gaza, the New York Times reported.

Why it stands out

Infantino was the only sports official on the dais—neither a head of government nor a regional royal. His presence extends a pattern of proximity to Trump: Davos remarks in 2020, attendance at the Abraham Accords signing, a high-profile seat at Trump’s second inauguration, multiple Oval Office visits, and FIFA opening an office in Trump Tower. Last week he even suggested Trump deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.

The neutrality question

FIFA forbids political interference, yet Infantino’s visible alignment with one leader unsettles some football officials and rights groups, who say it undercuts FIFA’s neutrality claim. A sensitive case is also on FIFA’s desk: the Palestinian FA’s complaint alleging Israel breaches FIFA rules by letting West Bank settlement clubs play in Israeli leagues—an unresolved flashpoint that makes optics trickier.

FIFA’s defence

FIFA’s line: global summits host many leaders, and the world’s biggest tournament requires close ties with hosts. Infantino argues access helps deliver events. He arrived on a Qatar-owned jet he often uses, and says cultivating heads of state is part of the job.

What others did

There’s little precedent for this level of political stagecraft from a sports chief. The IOC president skipped the summit; Infantino’s predecessor Sepp Blatter wasn’t a fixture at geopolitical ceremonies.

Wider network

Infantino has also cozied up to Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (2034 World Cup host), and Qatar’s emir (2022 host)—relationships that blur lines critics want kept clear. He’s included Ivanka Trump in a FIFA draw and allowed World Cup trophies to be displayed with Trump, gestures that feed the perception of closeness.

Bottom line

Infantino’s Gaza-summit cameo wasn’t a one-off—it’s part of a deliberate strategy to embed FIFA at the heart of power. Whether that delivers influence without compromising neutrality is the question football now has to referee.