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As the 2026 World Cup gets underway, FIFA President Gianni Infantino faces an unprecedented ethics backlash over his open alignment with the White House, a high-profile visa scandal blocking Africa’s top referee, and vital hydration breaks being turned into TV advertisement slots.
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Born in 1970 to modest Italian immigrants in the quiet Swiss town of Brig, Infantino grew up far from luxury. His mother ran a railway station newsstand, while his father worked on sleeping cars.
A multilingual lawyer by training, he quietly climbed the ranks at UEFA to become the trusted right-hand man to French football legend Michel Platini.
His big break came during the infamous 2015 “FIFAgate” corruption scandal that rocked the world of sport. When the FBI arrested top officials and sidelined Platini, Infantino launched a backroom campaign to seize the presidency. He later described Infantino as an ambitious bureaucrat who ruthlessly plotted to take his boss’s crown.
Once in power, Infantino concentrated all decision-making power and remade FIFA into a money-making machine. And expanding the tournament from 32 to 48 teams has pushed FIFA’s four-year revenue to a record 13 billion dollars
Today, opinions on his legacy are deeply split. Some see him as the master manager who successfully rebuilt FIFA from its 2015 ashes. Others view him as the ultimate symbol of corporate greed. On his social media accounts, his posts often end with the hashtag #FootballUnitesTheWorld.
But as this tournament shows, there is always another thing that unites. Money.
As ethical investigations mount, football’s ultimate businessman might find his luck is finally running out.
Watch the Euronews video in the player above for the full story.
