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World Corrupt Episode 6: A Dystopian World Cup
Where this was said
Gianni Infantino: Portrait of a Man in Full
At 22:39 · chapter starts 21:00
For any listeners still unfamiliar with FIFA's current president, Roger delivers a memorable character sketch: close your eyes and imagine 'the character that has run Spectre in 7 Bond films.' Bald. Toothy. Greasy banality of evil. He's moved his family to Qatar (Blatter himself found this bizarre), and in the run-up to the tournament he sent all players a letter explicitly telling them not to drag football into political battles — essentially, 'stick to football.' The letter was widely condemned by players and human rights groups alike. But the hypocrisy crystallizes when Roger reveals Infantino then went directly to the G20 to make an impassioned speech demanding a Ukraine ceasefire, citing football's power to unite the world [1] — Roger Bennett "Beckham's Qatar deal: $15M/year for 10 years: David Beckham reportedly signed a 10-year deal worth $15 million per year to serve as Qatar's…" 57:52 . Tommy asks the obvious question: why does Gianni get to discuss politics at the G20 while players can't wear a rainbow armband? There's no good answer. The segment also covers Infantino's bromance with Vladimir Putin — he received Russia's Medal of Freedom and has refused to return it — and his decision to sit between MBS and the Emir of Qatar at the opening game.
Infantino received Russia's Medal of Freedom from Putin after praising the 2018 World Cup for showing 'a wonderful face of Russia to the world' — and has refused to return it despite the Ukraine invasion. He then sat between MBS and the Emir of Qatar at the World Cup opener. Tommy: 'I see two brutal, corrupt autocrats making an Infantino sandwich.'
