Football without faith is nothing so Infantino is playing with fire at World Cup | Jonathan Wilson
In this opinion piece, the Guardian's Jonathan Wilson argues that Fifa president Gianni Infantino is jeopardising football's credibility at the 2026 World Cup by interfering with the sport's integrity, most notably by suspending Folarin Balogun's suspension after a red card. Wilson's central contention is that football's value lies in its unpredictability and authenticity — the sense that outcomes are genuine and unknowable — and that any perception of manipulation, whether match-fixing or bias towards big teams and big names, risks "killing" the sport by breeding corrosive cynicism among fans.
To illustrate, Wilson recalls witnessing a dramatic late Chelsea comeback in a Premier League game some 25 years ago while sitting with Romanian journalists who, shaped by the match-fixing culture of the Ceauşescu era, instinctively saw a fix where he saw drama. He notes this has been an unusually shock-free tournament: the four favourites were seeded to balance the draw, and beyond Paraguay beating Germany on penalties and Norway defeating Brazil, genuine upsets have been scarce. He also points to Lionel Messi escaping a red card for a foul on Algeria's Aïssa Mandi as another example of decisions that fuel doubt, leaving a quarter-final line-up dominated by big teams, big names and Switzerland.
In short
- Infantino risks football's credibility by meddling with its integrity, Wilson argues.
- Suspending Balogun's ban undermined faith in the sport's fairness.
- Football's appeal rests on being genuinely unpredictable and real.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Football's value fundamentally depends on the belief that outcomes are genuine and unpredictable. When high-profile players escape consequences whilst others face suspension, or when tournament structures and officiating patterns consistently favour established powers, it seeds corrosive doubt about whether the competition is authentic. Once cynicism takes root—particularly among fans from regions shaped by actual corruption—it becomes difficult to reverse and risks undermining the sport's credibility as a fair contest.
The case against
Fifa's role includes managing the competition responsibly, which involves contextual judgment rather than mechanical rule application; not all similar offences warrant identical punishment depending on severity and circumstances. Superior teams naturally outperform others through greater resources and quality, which reflects competitive reality rather than manipulation. Accusations of deliberate interference often rest on coincidence rather than evidence, and millions of fans worldwide remain intensely invested despite periodic controversial decisions, suggesting that ordinary judging calls do not genuinely threaten football's fundamental appeal.
Explained simply
Football's value to fans lies in the unpredictability and authenticity of matches — the genuine sense that outcomes could go either way and that the best team will win. An opinion piece argues that recent decisions at the 2026 World Cup have put this fundamental belief at risk.
The tournament has seen several controversial decisions that raise questions about fair play, including overturned suspensions and high-profile players receiving lenient treatment in disciplinary matters. The quarter-final line-up is dominated by the biggest teams and most famous players, with relatively few genuine upsets despite the tournament's structure designed to balance the draw.
When fans lose confidence that matches are decided fairly, the sport risks losing its fundamental appeal and vitality. The commentator illustrates this danger by recalling how people from countries with histories of match-fixing naturally suspected corruption rather than genuine drama, showing how difficult it is to rebuild trust once it has been lost.
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