Punished, Russia and Chelsea are the exception in a sport that doesn’t usually care about wars

Not ten days had passed since FIFA decided to suspend Russia from its competitions – in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine and taking the country out of the 2022 World Cup – when FIFA president Gianni Infantino arrived in Saudi Arabia, in last day 8, for a meeting with the royal family.

The Saudis are responsible for what is the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world today, according to the UN, the war in Yemen, which has lasted almost seven years and left more than 10,000 Yemeni children dead or maimed.

The fact that two-thirds of the country’s inhabitants are currently in need of humanitarian aid (still according to the United Nations) has not stopped Newcastle from being bought by PIF — Saudi Arabia’s state investment fund. The fund is headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, accused of murdering journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and finances the national army.

In retaliation for the war in Ukraine, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea, was disqualified from the post of director of the club, which, in turn, had its accounts frozen.

The sequence illustrates how sporting punishments motivated by wars, such as those suffered by Russia or the Russians, are the exception, not the rule in the world of football — sought after, FIFA did not respond to the report’s queries.

According to journalist Aurélio Araújo, creator of the Copa Além da Copa project, which researches geopolitical issues related to football, measures such as those adopted in response to the invasion of Ukraine are practically unheard of.

He recalls, for example, that Iraq was prevented from sending home games after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and started the Gulf War (1990-1991). The country, however, has not lost any Cup because of this.

He also recalls that, after the end of the Second World War, Germany could not play the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. But the team participated in the 1938 World Cup in France.

“While Iraq was serving years of [sem poder mandar jogos em casa]the United States invaded Iraq [em 2003] and nothing happened, although everyone knows that the invasion even defied the UN Security Council”, he comments.

Back in 2022, after sanctions, Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale. One of the main contenders to buy the club is an investment fund called the Saudi Media Group.

Although the fund says it has no direct link to the Saudi government, its boss is Mohammed El Khereiji, who on his official Twitter profile boasts a photo with Prince Mohammad bin Salman (the same as Newcastle) and another with King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

“The owner of Monaco is also a Russian oligarch, Dmitri Ribolovlev, who is still mentioned in the Panama Papers scandal. But he is patronized by the prince of Monaco and his club is passing unharmed so far”, says Araújo.

The sanctions against the Russians are based on the accusation that the invasion of Ukraine violates human rights, which FIFA undertakes, in article 3 of its statute, to respect and promote.

For Araújo, “if this were an issue”, FIFA “would have to punish the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia…”. Or Qatar, the country that will host the next World Cup.

In the construction of stadiums for the 2022 World Cup, at least 6,500 migrant workers have died since construction began, according to a survey by the English newspaper The Guardian. There are accusations of disrespect for human rights against hotel workers, including the hotel where the Brazilian team will be staying, as shown by the sheet.

Russia, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are categorized as “non-free” countries by Freedom House, an institute that measures democracy and freedom in countries according to their regimes.

Araújo recalls that, when the suspension of the South African team was debated due to apartheid, FIFA president Stanley Rous was against it. He feared that football would lose ground to other sports in the country — but it was outvoted.

The reason why Rous did not want to punish South Africans, he continues, is the same reason why FIFA already turned a blind eye to Putin’s Russia during the 2018 World Cup and is also the reason for impunity against Saudis, Qataris and the North. -Americans —the United States is a sports market that the entity has dreamed of conquering since Pelé worked at Cosmos.

“It’s hypocritical, but FIFA has a number of Western sponsors, and they’ve all turned their backs on Russia. FIFA couldn’t afford to disagree with these companies, so Russia became an easy target. Not that Russia is a saint.” : it was the last host of the Cup, and Putin was until yesterday in the lap of FIFA”, analyzes Araújo.

There are currently nearly 30 active conflicts in the world. Expecting the same rule to be followed for all cases seems impossible for a simple reason.

“We have reached a level of spending in world football that cannot be sustained without having these sources to support it”, he adds.