February 3 – In a strongly worded letter, world governing body FIFA has rebuked criticism by Members of the European Parliament over the host award of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia.
It is a remarkable reprimand of Europe’s political leaders. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who attended the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States and courts Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman with vigour, refuses to accept any criticism of the 2034 process as his organisation increasingly defies good governance and gets away with it.