More Hypocrisy from FIFA: Anti-Racism Is Optional Now?

FIFA has once again exposed the hollowness of its so-called commitment to fighting racism and discrimination, as well as raising further questions about their claims of political neutrality.

Back in 2022, FIFA and UEFA couldn’t act fast enough when it came to banning Russia from international football in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Stadium screens lit up with solidarity messages. Players stood behind slogans. Ukrainian flags were held aloft or laid out across pitches. Bans were swift, and the governing bodies were lauded for taking a principled stand.

But as I pointed out in my previous piece, this sudden moral clarity rang hollow when compared to their deafening silence - or outright complicity - in response to other global crises, human rights abuses, genocide, and now, it seems, the fight against racism itself.

According to a report by Adam Crafton in the New York Times, FIFA made a conscious decision to strip all visible references to its "No Racism" and "No Discrimination" campaigns from stadiums and social media during the Club World Cup in the United States. That’s right — the same organisation whose president begged for action against racism at football matches, is now conveniently shelving its own messaging.

This is no accident. In the past, FIFA plastered anti-discrimination messages across LED boards and captain’s armbands. Now, in the U.S., where there’s a visible political backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives - not to mention Gestapo-esque arrests of people by ICE agents on anyone who looks or is foreign - FIFA has opted for the safe, sanitised “Football Unites the World” slogan. Vague. Non-confrontational. Marketable. And it keeps Trump and his MAGA legions on side.

This is a political decision dressed up as neutrality. Just as UEFA claimed neutrality when it fined players for showing support for Palestine or FIFA banning rainbow armbands in Qatar — but had no issue taking a political stance against Russia — FIFA is now picking and choosing its causes based on the host nation’s political sensitivities.

What happened to FIFA’s much-heralded universal anti-racism gesture launched just last year? What about the promise that racism is a crime? Apparently, all that goes out the window when sponsors might raise an eyebrow or the local political climate gets a bit too uncomfortable for the likes of Infantino and his cronies.

So while Infantino plays statesman, shaking hands with Trump in the White House and talking tough about punishment for racism, the truth is very simple - FIFA will only take a stand when it’s safe, profitable, or politically convenient for them to do so. Otherwise, it's business as usual — smiles, slogans, and silence.

Let’s stop pretending FIFA and UEFA are apolitical. Their actions — and inaction — are political through and through. And once again reeks of hypocrisy.