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

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.