Mohamed Basyouny Abd Elhaleem‏‏

"For what we Europeans have been doing the last 3,000 years, we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons to people." These were the words of FIFA President Gianni Infantino a few hours before the opening of the World Cup in Qatar. As much as these words reflected Infantino’s attempt to defend the decision to organize the tournament in Qatar despite numerous Western criticisms of FIFA, his statements also recalled the complex relationship between the West and other countries of the world. Since its founding in its current form in England in the mid-19th century, football has been a domain for international geopolitical competition. For decades, the West believed that this sport was a part of its cultural and social heritage. This belief gave Western countries, specifically European countries, the greatest influence on the game and the ability to determine its rules and regulations, and perhaps also the scope of other countries’ participation in it. Significantly, this influence has faced numerous challenges in recent years, amid demands from so-called developing countries for greater fairness in the game, which has gained huge global popularity beyond Europe and the West as a whole.

FIFA

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