Football has been a haven for everything from money laundering to social and political control. Now we are witnessing a new "project" to legalize the privatization that FIFA has always practiced, albeit more openly; it is nothing new—it is a clash of interests involving vast sums of money and the maneuvering of huge amounts of capital. Recall Gaddafi’s partnership with Fiat and Juventus, or the Russian businessmen—with their massive capital—who were welcomed into the Premier League after the fall of the USSR; after using that money at Arsenal and other clubs, the rug was simply pulled out from under them (once it was realized they were "Russian" and their capital didn't align with Europe's geopolitical interests—much like the Libya case years earlier). The same applies to drug trafficking money in Colombia and Mexico, though the methods differ: in Sudamérica, they might arrive with sacks of cash, whereas elsewhere they use major law firms and marketing agencies to clean up their image. Today, the money comes from the petrodollars of Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries; in the past, it was the *Cosa Nostra*. Today, it involves Trump’s associates; yesterday, it was Berlusconi. And these are just random examples. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, PSG, and the Premier League clubs—they all form a select group of tax havens used to "diversify" capital. In the political realm, we must remember the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, where a brutal dictatorship bought the championship—just one example of the many shady dealings surrounding football. That is without even touching upon cycling—teams like US Postal in the past, or UAE Team Emirates today, which operate with virtually infinite budgets compared to their rivals. The situation with Infantino and FIFA is simply a more overt step in the long-standing way football has been run—where the interests of some affect others—but ultimately, "Mr. Money" rules the sport, facilitating capital laundering and social control.
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