Four years on, same story: Fifa’s credibility is flowing down the drain. Tech firms, take note

Every day, a new story adds more tarnish to this year’s Fifa World Cup, a tournament already drowning in controversy. 

On Monday, Fifa referee Omar Artan’s rejected visa was the latest in an increasingly crowded line of controversies. Artan would’ve been the first Somali referee at the World Cup; now, he’s barred from his dream of officiating at the tournament. A day later, Iran’s football federation confirmed its allocation of fan tickets had been revoked – and a quarter of participating nations are facing severe visa restrictions.

Not that Fifa president Gianni Infantino sees the controversy. Yesterday, responding to a question about Artan in his first press conference since 2023, he said it was “unfortunate” and “sometimes it’s good to just, you know, chill and relax”. Not exactly the words of support to quell any sense of injustice. 

I love the World Cup. There’s nothing like bringing the world together to watch the pinnacle of the most popular sport on the planet. And I’m sure, on the footballing side of things, this tournament will be as captivating as ever. But it’s hard to escape the inanity, the ludicrousness, of the political sphere surrounding this year’s edition. It’s exactly the bringing the world together part, the crucial point of it all, that has gone wildly astray. 

As the legendary Ian Wright put it on an Instagram post, it’s “the World Cup of Chaos”. In this chaos, Fifa, and its president Infantino, have continually put out statements totally misaligned with the actions that have unfolded. 

So, from a PR perspective, how has Fifa lost control of the narrative for its own tournament? 

Bizarre speeches on a four-year cycle

The tournament was meant to be a chance to rectify the controversies swirling around the last couple of editions. Remember in Qatar, four years ago, when Fifa announced that any player wearing the OneLove armband in support of LGBTQ+ would be shown a yellow card, labelling it a ‘political’ act. Oh the irony of what’s followed since. 

The supposedly apolitical organisation, as Infantino has been at pains to accentuate, has become ever more political, culminating in the baffling awarding of a peace prize to Trump. You’d think Fifa would’ve learned some lessons; it seems they’ve been on a mission to actively unlearn them even more. 

Lest we forget Infantino’s infamous, bizarre ‘Today, I feel a migrant worker’ speech from Qatar. It seems the eve of the World Cup has become his trademark time for more weird messaging. Yesterday’s conference now has the ‘chill, relax’ motto attached to it. While he later clarified this meant to chill while they “were working behind the scenes”, the wording was, to use his words, “unfortunate”. 

The chasm between statements and reality 

It was only in November that Infantino exclaimed this would be “the greatest and most inclusive World Cup ever”. Promises were made that everyone would be welcomed. Fifa is now pedalling backwards. After Artan’s visa rejection, the football body said “it is not involved in host country immigration processes”, absolving itself from blame. Previous words have become meaningless. 

This isn’t even touching on the sheer climate impact of the tournament, the staggering ticket prices and travel fares – with price caps promised in the bid being totally overruled – the health concerns around severe heat, and, notwithstanding that, even an attempted ban on fans bringing water bottles into stadiums, with Fifa yielding to international pressure and backtracking on it. 

Each incident seems to be accompanied with a vacuous response that does nothing to alleviate the situation. Of course, it’s got to the point where Fifa’s influence is probably curtailed by the US government. But it can control ticket prices. It can control how it talks about visa rejections and the necessity for all those involved to be present. 

After all, it’s meant to be the Fifa world cup. For all the chat about inclusivity, climate consciousness and so forth, everyone can clearly see what’s happening.

A note for tech PR

Tech firms would be wise to take note, as I’m sure most are. Yet there are a host of companies falling into a similar trap. Last week I wrote about the ‘AI washing’ phenomenon that has flowed through the sector in recent years, with brands rebranding as AI even when their products or services aren’t. This desire to present a picture that isn’t the reality might lead to some short-term gains, but it will inevitably erode customer trust. 

Similarly, these events serve as a warning around engaging with partners who end up bringing disrepute to your own brand, or of leaders speaking off the cuff, a trend that seems to be on an upward spiral due to social media. And if you’re going to organise an event, you better make sure that all the people invited to attend don’t then get barred from doing so! 

While some companies might believe they are protected in a bubble wrap of current sentiments, trends change, and PR misfires now can easily come back to haunt you. As I said last week, if tech companies are to glean any lesson, it’s to stay true to what you do.

I’m excited as ever for the football of the World Cup. But you can’t help but feel dismayed at the circus around it. I hope the act of nations feeling the brunt of harsh immigration policies playing in the tournament can serve as a powerful symbol of defiance and demonstration of unity. And on a final note, at least Artan was able to receive a hero’s welcome back in his homeland.