{"id":14604,"date":"2026-07-10T07:03:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T00:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=14604"},"modified":"2026-07-10T07:03:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T00:03:49","slug":"after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World\u00a0Cup?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"\">The World Cup has entered its quarter-finals, and so far the tournament has had it all: a strong team ousted early (Germany), debate over whether an ageing superstar (Lionel Messi) still \u201chas it\u201d, and an underdog in the form of a tiny nation (Cabo Verde) making it through to the knockout stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">But by far the biggest off-field talking point has centred around the United States vs Bosnia and Herzegovina game. After the match, US President Donald Trump personally intervened to ask FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to US striker Folarin Balogun that brought with it a one-match ban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Shockingly, FIFA sided with the US and reinstated Balogun two days before the US\u2019s next match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">While much of the debate around the incident has centred on Trump, there are also questions to be asked about Infantino\u2019s actions, FIFA\u2019s politics, and whether the World Cup still has its gleam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An independent decision?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">FIFA\u2019s judgement has raised questions about Infantino\u2019s close relationship with Trump. FIFA has mechanisms \u2013 labyrinthine and hidden inside its own Disciplinary Code \u2013 to settle disputes between players, federations and teams. FIFA officials insisted the Disciplinary Committee acted independently, and denied Trump\u2019s phonecall had any impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Even Infantino took the extraordinary step of issuing his own denial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">FIFA President Gianni Infantino: <br><br>\u201cI have seen the public comments regarding the decision of the independent FIFA Disciplinary Committee related to the suspension of Folarin Balogun, and I would like to reiterate a fundamental principle of FIFA\u2019s governance.<br><br>\u201cFIFA\u2019s judicial\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FzeWuMQIXf\">pic.twitter.com\/FzeWuMQIXf<\/a><\/p>&mdash; FIFA Media (@fifamedia) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/fifamedia\/status\/2074160315562885122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 6, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Friends in high places<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Trump clearly felt conformable reaching out to Infantino because the two leaders have a strong relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In December 2025, Infantino awarded Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, a decision that seems to have been a unilateral one by the FIFA president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In the six months since, the Trump administration has launched a war on Iran that has killed thousands of innocent civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The love seems to go both ways: after the Balogun red card decision, Trump lauded Infantino, saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"\">He\u2019s a smart, tough man, and his stock has gone through the roof because the job he has done has been great.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Infantino has made a habit of buddying up to authoritarian leaders. He has played favourites with them in the past and even ignored when their policies interfered with significant football matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In the run up to the 2026 World Cup, Infantino remained remarkably quiet about US travel bans that have affected fans and players alike. The US has banned travel from a quarter of the qualifying countries, many fans (and at least one referee) have been turned back at airports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FIFA gives its new peace prize to Trump: &#039;World is a safer place now&#039;\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eIMGvFreMXU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Infantino was forced to accept American restrictions to the travel of the Iranian National Team. Following the outbreak of the Iran war, the team was forced to relocate their homebase to Tijuana in Mexico. The players were only able to travel to the US for games the day before the kickoff and were subjected to sustained examinations by immigration officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">After Iran\u2019s opening draw against New Zealand, Infantino visited their locker room. Iran\u2019s coach offered a withering critique of the competition\u2019s fairness. The Athletic labelled Infantino as being reduced to the role of the \u201ccourt jester\u201d, unable to challenge Trump\u2019s power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">He has form kowtowing to bullies. In 2014, the Russian armed forces seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. Infantino was the General Secretary of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), and while he banned Crimean clubs from competing in Russian competitions, he also oversaw the formation of a local league that separated those clubs from Ukraine too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In 2018, he was FIFA\u2019s president when Russia hosted the World Cup, an event he called \u201cthe best [\u2026] ever\u201d. The following year, for his service to Russia, Putin awarded Infantino with Russian Order of Friendship. Infantino has also been on the record supporting the reintroduction of Russian athletes into FIFA competition despite the country\u2019s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">He was similarly supportive of Qatari officials in 2022. When the Qataris faced criticism for their labour practices, a brutal system of forced work that resulted in roughly 6,500 deaths in the years leading up to the World Cup, Infantino defended the hosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An anti-corruption campaign?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Infantino\u2019s closeness to authoritarian leaders such as Putin and Trump might surprise some football watchers, because Infantino only became FIFA\u2019s president as part of a reform process. In May 2015, US federal prosecutors indicted 14 football bureaucrats with crimes including wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering. The scandal implicated the then president, Sepp Blatter, who was forced to resign in December 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Infantino was a member of the 2016 reform committee, and was supported by European and North American federations as an anti-corruption candidate. His narrow victory over Jordanian Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa was lauded as a victory for real change in the footballing body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Ten years into his presidency, however, Infantino has become increasingly authoritarian and less transparent. He has ended the reform processes that brought FIFA\u2019s poor governance to light. He has fired officials involved in the ethics investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Infantino\u2019s tit-for-tat style allows for close rapport with autocrats and has had benefits for FIFA. In 2026, US investigators ended their probe into financial fraud in global football, saying it \u201cno longer fits the Trump administration\u2019s priorities\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">FIFA\u2019s financial resources have been buoyed by support from US television dollars and Middle Eastern Sovereign Wealth Funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Infantino has a close relationship with Saudi Arabian ruler Mohammed bin Salman. Eager to repay favours, Infantino oversaw the process to award the hosting right for the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia despite the regime\u2019s poor human rights records. The other possible bidder \u2013 Australia \u2013 was blindsided by backdoor manoeuvering between FIFA, Saudi Arabia, and the Asian Football Confederation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ros Atkins on: Why is Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 world cup? | BBC News\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8bjPpgrBnnw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pressure to resign?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Blatter, the man Infantino replaced, was sharply critical of Infantino and Trump\u2019s conduct. On X, he wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"\">Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence, and independent bodies.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Red cards are not overturned by political phone calls. They are overturned by rules, evidence and independent bodies. If a U.S. President intervenes with the FIFA President \u2014 and a player is suddenly cleared before a World Cup knockout match \u2014 the question is unavoidable: Quo\u2026<\/p>&mdash; Joseph S Blatter (@SeppBlatter) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SeppBlatter\/status\/2074022159916130658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 6, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">With the fiction of FIFA\u2019s neutrality now visible, the pressure is mounting for the executive committee to replace Infantino. Calls for him to resign are coming from football insiders in Europe: Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling labelled it an \u201cabsolute disgrace\u201d and called for Infantino to resign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">German manager J\u00fcrgen Klopp also called for his resignation, as did British journalist and former England captain Gary Lineker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">UEFA officials have reportedly been discussing possible alternatives to Infantino. North American football leaders seem to prefer the Canadian Victor Montagliani, who might have some support beyond the Americas given Canada\u2019s handling of the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Likely more troubling for Infantino are demands for an investigation by 72 European lawmakers in the European parliament. His predecessor was also seen off by an external legal probe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Even so, despite some in the press seeing his position as \u201cuntenable\u201d, the twice re-elected FIFA President will likely be able to see off threats to his rule, unless the European Union (and potentially also North American) officials can put financial pressure on FIFA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Infantino is well-liked by sports officials in the global south, who have benefited from the money he brings into the game. The most important federations for voting purposes \u2013 the African and Asian confederations \u2013 seem likely to back him for an unprecedented fourth term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">What goes unsaid is that FIFA cannot be and has never been politically neutral. Tensions remain between the global north and south inside of the organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Yet the bigger problem is the concentration of power inside FIFA, and how it exercises it on the outside. The organisation\u2019s connections to government are essential to hosting an increasingly complicated global tournament. Infantino\u2019s global game runs on money and power. As they become increasingly concentrated in the hands of fewer individuals, the possibility for challenging his leadership diminish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/keith-rathbone-402762\">Keith Rathbone<\/a>, Senior Lecturer, Modern European History and Sports History, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/macquarie-university-1174\">Macquarie University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup-287064\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The World Cup has entered its quarter-finals, and so far the tournament has had it all: a strong<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[276,63],"class_list":["post-14604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-fifa","tag-football"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.10 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The World Cup has entered its quarter-finals, and so far the tournament has had it all: a strong team ousted early (Germany), debate over whether an ageing superstar (Lionel Messi) still \u201chas it\u201d, and an underdog in the form of a tiny nation (Cabo Verde) making it through to the knockout stages. But by far\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\"\/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO (AIOSEO) 4.9.10\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"- Every Sports Has A Story\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World Cup? -\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The World Cup has entered its quarter-finals, and so far the tournament has had it all: a strong team ousted early (Germany), debate over whether an ageing superstar (Lionel Messi) still \u201chas it\u201d, and an underdog in the form of a tiny nation (Cabo Verde) making it through to the knockout stages. But by far\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:secure_url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-10T00:03:46+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-10T00:03:49+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World Cup? -\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"The World Cup has entered its quarter-finals, and so far the tournament has had it all: a strong team ousted early (Germany), debate over whether an ageing superstar (Lionel Messi) still \u201chas it\u201d, and an underdog in the form of a tiny nation (Cabo Verde) making it through to the knockout stages. But by far\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#blogposting\",\"name\":\"After the \\u2018red card\\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\\u2019s World Cup? -\",\"headline\":\"After the \\u2018red card\\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\\u2019s World\\u00a0Cup?\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/#author\"},\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853,\"caption\":\"Donald Trump, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, and Gianni Infantino (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-10T07:03:46+07:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-10T07:03:49+07:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#webpage\"},\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#webpage\"},\"articleSection\":\"Opinion, fifa, football\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/category\\\/opinion\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Opinion\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/category\\\/opinion\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Opinion\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/category\\\/opinion\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"After the \\u2018red card\\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\\u2019s World\\u00a0Cup?\"},\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"After the \\u2018red card\\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\\u2019s World\\u00a0Cup?\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/category\\\/opinion\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Opinion\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"description\":\"Every Sports Has A Story\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/cropped-INFINITY-SPORT-logo-1.png\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#organizationLogo\",\"width\":490,\"height\":84},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#organizationLogo\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/#author\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#authorImage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6ca451225bef6101c4e516846b499b986282c08748508a50fc4b31ec1d0f2402?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"width\":96,\"height\":96,\"caption\":\"admin\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/\",\"name\":\"After the \\u2018red card\\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\\u2019s World Cup? -\",\"description\":\"The World Cup has entered its quarter-finals, and so far the tournament has had it all: a strong team ousted early (Germany), debate over whether an ageing superstar (Lionel Messi) still \\u201chas it\\u201d, and an underdog in the form of a tiny nation (Cabo Verde) making it through to the knockout stages. But by far\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#breadcrumblist\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/#author\"},\"creator\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/#author\"},\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#mainImage\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853,\"caption\":\"Donald Trump, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, and Gianni Infantino (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\\\/#mainImage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-10T07:03:46+07:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-10T07:03:49+07:00\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/\",\"description\":\"Every Sports Has A Story\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.infinitysport.asia\\\/news\\\/#organization\"}}]}\n\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO -->\n\n","aioseo_head_json":{"title":"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World Cup? -","description":"The World Cup has entered its quarter-finals, and so far the tournament has had it all: a strong team ousted early (Germany), debate over whether an ageing superstar (Lionel Messi) still \u201chas it\u201d, and an underdog in the form of a tiny nation (Cabo Verde) making it through to the knockout stages. But by far","canonical_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/","robots":"max-image-preview:large","keywords":"","webmasterTools":{"miscellaneous":""},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#blogposting","name":"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World Cup? -","headline":"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World\u00a0Cup?","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/author\/admin\/#author"},"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg","width":1280,"height":853,"caption":"Donald Trump, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, and Gianni Infantino (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)"},"datePublished":"2026-07-10T07:03:46+07:00","dateModified":"2026-07-10T07:03:49+07:00","inLanguage":"en","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#webpage"},"isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#webpage"},"articleSection":"Opinion, fifa, football"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#breadcrumblist","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news#listItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/opinion\/#listItem","name":"Opinion"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/opinion\/#listItem","position":2,"name":"Opinion","item":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/opinion\/","nextItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#listItem","name":"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World\u00a0Cup?"},"previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news#listItem","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#listItem","position":3,"name":"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World\u00a0Cup?","previousItem":{"@type":"ListItem","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/opinion\/#listItem","name":"Opinion"}}]},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/#organization","description":"Every Sports Has A Story","url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/cropped-INFINITY-SPORT-logo-1.png","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#organizationLogo","width":490,"height":84},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#organizationLogo"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/author\/admin\/#author","url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/author\/admin\/","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#authorImage","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6ca451225bef6101c4e516846b499b986282c08748508a50fc4b31ec1d0f2402?s=96&d=mm&r=g","width":96,"height":96,"caption":"admin"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/","name":"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World Cup? -","description":"The World Cup has entered its quarter-finals, and so far the tournament has had it all: a strong team ousted early (Germany), debate over whether an ageing superstar (Lionel Messi) still \u201chas it\u201d, and an underdog in the form of a tiny nation (Cabo Verde) making it through to the knockout stages. But by far","inLanguage":"en","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/#website"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#breadcrumblist"},"author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/author\/admin\/#author"},"creator":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/author\/admin\/#author"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#mainImage","width":1280,"height":853,"caption":"Donald Trump, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani, and Gianni Infantino (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/#mainImage"},"datePublished":"2026-07-10T07:03:46+07:00","dateModified":"2026-07-10T07:03:49+07:00"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/","description":"Every Sports Has A Story","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/#organization"}}]},"og:locale":"en_US","og:site_name":"- Every Sports Has A Story","og:type":"article","og:title":"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World Cup? -","og:description":"The World Cup has entered its quarter-finals, and so far the tournament has had it all: a strong team ousted early (Germany), debate over whether an ageing superstar (Lionel Messi) still \u201chas it\u201d, and an underdog in the form of a tiny nation (Cabo Verde) making it through to the knockout stages. But by far","og:url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/","og:image":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg","og:image:width":1280,"og:image:height":853,"article:published_time":"2026-07-10T00:03:46+00:00","article:modified_time":"2026-07-10T00:03:49+00:00","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:title":"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World Cup? -","twitter:description":"The World Cup has entered its quarter-finals, and so far the tournament has had it all: a strong team ousted early (Germany), debate over whether an ageing superstar (Lionel Messi) still \u201chas it\u201d, and an underdog in the form of a tiny nation (Cabo Verde) making it through to the knockout stages. But by far","twitter:image":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg"},"aioseo_meta_data":{"post_id":"14604","title":null,"description":null,"keywords":null,"keyphrases":{"focus":{"keyphrase":"","score":0,"analysis":{"keyphraseInTitle":{"score":0,"maxScore":9,"error":1}}},"additional":[]},"primary_term":null,"canonical_url":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"og_object_type":"default","og_image_type":"default","og_image_url":null,"og_image_width":null,"og_image_height":null,"og_image_custom_url":null,"og_image_custom_fields":null,"og_video":"","og_custom_url":null,"og_article_section":null,"og_article_tags":null,"twitter_use_og":false,"twitter_card":"default","twitter_image_type":"default","twitter_image_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_url":null,"twitter_image_custom_fields":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"schema":{"blockGraphs":[],"customGraphs":[],"default":{"data":{"Article":[],"Course":[],"Dataset":[],"FAQPage":[],"Movie":[],"Person":[],"Product":[],"ProductReview":[],"Car":[],"Recipe":[],"Service":[],"SoftwareApplication":[],"WebPage":[]},"graphName":"BlogPosting","isEnabled":true},"graphs":[]},"schema_type":"default","schema_type_options":null,"pillar_content":false,"robots_default":true,"robots_noindex":false,"robots_noarchive":false,"robots_nosnippet":false,"robots_nofollow":false,"robots_noimageindex":false,"robots_noodp":false,"robots_notranslate":false,"robots_max_snippet":"-1","robots_max_videopreview":"-1","robots_max_imagepreview":"large","priority":null,"frequency":"default","local_seo":null,"breadcrumb_settings":null,"limit_modified_date":false,"ai":{"faqs":[],"keyPoints":[],"schemas":[],"titles":[],"descriptions":[],"socialPosts":{"email":{"subject":"","preview":"","content":""},"linkedin":[],"twitter":[],"facebook":[],"instagram":[]}},"created":"2026-07-09 12:02:14","updated":"2026-07-10 00:39:39","seo_analyzer_scan_date":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/opinion\/\" title=\"Opinion\">Opinion<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">&raquo;<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\tAfter the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World Cup?\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news"},{"label":"Opinion","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/opinion\/"},{"label":"After the \u2018red card\u2019 scandal, has the shine come off Gianni Infantino\u2019s World\u00a0Cup?","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/after-the-red-card-scandal-has-the-shine-come-off-gianni-infantinos-world-cup\/"}],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg",1280,853,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378-768x512.jpg",640,427,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378-1024x682.jpg",640,426,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg",1280,853,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg",1280,853,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378-825x575.jpg",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378-590x410.jpg",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/opinion\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Opinion<\/a>","tag_info":"Opinion","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1280px-Donald_Trump_state_visit_to_Qatar_2025-05-14_P20250514DT-2378.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14604"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14606,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14604\/revisions\/14606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}