# Infantino plays with fire by risking faith in football at World Cup

Jonathan Wilson argues that FIFA president Gianni Infantino is endangering the trust and integrity of football through controversial World Cup decisions. The column warns that without faith, the sport loses its meaning, making Infantino's actions a dangerous gamble for football's future. This matters because trust is central to the game's global appeal and legitimacy.

**Importance:** 3/5

## Sources

### Sports
- [The Guardian Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/11/football-without-faith-infantino-world-cup) — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 17:00:54 GMT
- [The Guardian Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/12/gianni-infantino-expansion-64-team-world-cup-2030-fifa) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 15:16:56 GMT
- [BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cj9gm31jwg8o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 19:18:56 GMT
- [The Guardian Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/21/neuer-to-neymar-11-world-cup-players-who-retired-from-international-football) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:00:04 GMT
- [BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cz0515973gpo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:07:28 GMT
- [BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c8rny2p6144o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:42:23 GMT
- [BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cn9n8q8w7ndo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:02:31 GMT

### World
- [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2026/7/16/how-world-cup-football-jerseys-became-political-fashion-in-latin-america?traffic_source=rss) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:20:56 +0000
- [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/18/five-football-players-who-rose-to-social-media-stardom-at-the-world-cup?traffic_source=rss) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 02:32:50 +0000
- [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/21/fifa-destroying-football-for-the-world-cup-says-spanish-football-chief?traffic_source=rss) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 15:32:50 +0000