FIFA's Hegemony in Double-Standard Sanctions for Israel and Russia Making in Sanctioning
Main Article Content
Abstract
In response to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the International Fédération of Association Football (FIFA) imposed significant sanctions on the Russian Football Union. However, the organisation did not do the same with Israel's genocide in Palestine. This article analyses FIFA's decision through the lens of hegemony in international relations (IR), focusing on how FIFA is leaning towards a Western-centric/Euro-centric point of view and world order, rather than becoming a neutral international sports body. This paper is a qualitative research study that utilises the Cox concept of contemporary world order, focusing on material, ideational, and institutional tools to gain hegemony. As FIFA is used by Western powers to demonstrate their hegemonic influence on the world order, we argue that it is the reason behind their double-standard policy.
Article Details
References
Abdelhafidh, B. A. (2025). Political Interference in Football: Between Allowance and Prohibition – A Comparative Analysis of the Ukrainian-Russian Conflict and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. Revue : IMAGO Interculturalité et Didactique, 24(1), 53–59.
Absalyamov, T., & Schubert, M. (2025). How the Ukraine Conflict Affects Russian Football Clubs: The Hostages of Big Politics. In S. Chadwick, P. Widdop, & M. M. Goldman (Eds.), The Geopolitical Economy of Football: Where Power Meets Politics and Business (p. 66). Routledge.
Acharya, A. (2018). Constructing Global Order: Agency and change in world politics. Cambridge University Press.
Al Jazeera. (2025, August 7). Trump says he wants all Middle Eastern countries to have formal Israel ties. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/7/trump-says-he-wants-all-middle-eastern-countries-to-have-formal-israel-ties
Aljazeera. (2022, February 28). FIFA and UEFA suspend Russia from international football. Aljazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/28/russia-expelled-from-world-cup-clubs-banned-from-competitions
Bacheschi, G. P. (2023). Russian Aggression Against Ukraine and World Football: An Analysis of the Impact of the War in Ukraine on Russia’s Foreign Policy Strategies Regarding World Football. University of Malta.
Bantekas, I. (2024). Sports Sanctions against Russia through the Lens of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Cardozo Arts & Ent. L. J., 42(1).
Bardaji, R., Steiner, T., & Cohen, E. (2015). Israel: A Vital Asset of The West.
Bar-On, T., & Escobedo, L. (2019). FIFA seen from a postcolonial perspective. Soccer & Society, 20(1), 39–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2016.1267632
Ber, R., Yarchi, M., & Galily, Y. (2017). The sporting arena as a public diplomacy battlefield: the Palestinian attempt to suspend Israel from FIFA. The Journal of International Communication, 23(2), 218–230. https://doi.org/10.1080/13216597.2017.1327449
Bishop, M. L., & Cooper, A. F. (2018). The FIFA Scandal and the Distorted Influence of Small States. Global Governance, 24(1), 21–40.
Boniface, P. (1998). Football as a factor (and a reflection) of international politics. The International Spectator, 33(4), 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/03932729808456836
Brannagan, P. M., & Reiche, D. (2022). Qatar and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96822-9
Broda, P. (2022). FIFA as referee of the match Israel-Palestine from 1920 to 2020: an institutional approach. Sport in History, 42(1), 76–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/17460263.2020.1829690
Chadwick, S., Widdop, P., & Goldman, M. M. (2024). The Geopolitical Economy of Football. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003473671
Cox, R. W. (1981). Social Forces, States and World Orders: Beyond International Relations Theory. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 10(2), 126–155. https://doi.org/10.1177/03058298810100020501
Cox, R. W. (1983). Gramsci, Hegemony and International Relations : An Essay in Method. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 12(2), 162–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/03058298830120020701
Cox, R. W., & Sinclair, T. J. (1996). Approaches to World Order. Cambridge University Press.
Dabscheck, B. (2014). FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association): The Men, the Myths and the Money. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 31(17), 2292–2294. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2014.934028
Darby, P. (2005). Africa and the ‘World’ Cup: FIFA Politics, Eurocentrism and Resistance. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 22(5), 883–905. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523360500143745
Dart, J. (2016). ‘Brand Israel’: hasbara and Israeli sport. Sport in Society, 19(10), 1402–1418. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2015.1133595
Eisenberg, C. (2005). From Political Ignorance to Global Responsibility: The Role of the World Soccer Association (FIFA) in International Sport during the Twentieth Century. Journal of Sport History, 32(3), 379–393. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43625169
Fett, M. (2020). The game has changed – a systematic approach to classify FIFA World Cups. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 12(3), 455–470. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2020.1784978
FIFA. (2022, February 25). FIFA expresses hope for rapid cessation of hostilities and peace in Ukraine. Inside FIFA. https://inside.fifa.com/organisation/fifa-council/media-releases/fifa-expresses-hope-for-rapid-cessation-of-hostilities-and-peace-in-ukraine
FIFA. (2023, October 24). Bureau of the FIFA Council update on upcoming matches involving Israel’s national teams. Inside FIFA. https://inside.fifa.com/organisation/news/bureau-of-the-fifa-council-update-on-upcoming-matches-involving-israels-national-teams
FIFA. (2024a, May 17). Gianni Infantino emphasises FIFA’s mission to grow football globally in FIFA Congress address. Inside FIFA. https://inside.fifa.com/organisation/president/news/gianni-infantino-emphasises-fifas-mission-to-grow-football-globally-in-fifa-congress-address
FIFA. (2024b, August 31). FIFA Update. Inside FIFA. https://inside.fifa.com/organisation/news/fifa-update-palestine-israel
FIFA. (2024c, October 3). FIFA Council takes key decisions on FIFA Member Associations and upcoming FIFA competitions. Inside FIFA. https://inside.fifa.com/organisation/fifa-council/media-releases/fifa-council-takes-key-decisions-member-associations-upcoming-competitions
FIFA. (2025, March 8). US President Donald Trump reaffirms support for FIFA tournaments during meeting with Gianni Infantino. Inside FIFA. https://inside.fifa.com/organisation/president/news/us-president-donald-trump-meeting-gianni-infantino-reaffirms-support-fifa-tournaments?requester=MediaHub&entryId=4hhfUFp1wz6zcFynf6PBVC
Franke, U., & Koch, M. (2023). World Sports and Russia’s War Against Ukraine. In Inter-Organizational Relations and World Order (pp. 171–193). Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.51952/9781529233100.ch008
Gill, S., Adelus, E., & de Abreu Duarte, F. (2019). Whose Game? FIFA, Corruption and the Challenge of Global Governance. European Journal of International Law, 30(3), 1041–1066. https://doi.org/10.1093/ejil/chz054
Guilbert, K. (2024, December 16). FIFA apologises for showing map of Ukraine without Crimea during 2026 World Cup draw. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/12/16/fifa-apologises-for-showing-map-of-ukraine-without-crimea-during-2026-world-cup-draw
Hock, B., & Gomtsian, S. (2018). Private order building: the state in the role of the civil society and the case of FIFA. The International Sports Law Journal, 17(3–4), 186–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40318-018-0123-1
Homburg, H. (2008). Financing World Football. Zeitschrift Für Unternehmensgeschichte, 53(1), 33–69. https://doi.org/10.1515/zug-2008-0104
Ibrahim, M. F. (2025). Orientalism in Sport: Analyzing the Western Representation of Islam at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Jurnal Ruhul Islam, 3(1), 77–94. https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms.7.2.371_1
Jamali, A., Kozlová, A., Whelan, K. A., & Faix, M. (2023). Game Over for Russian Athletes? Human Rights Aspects of Measures Adopted by International Sports Organisations as a Response to the Russian Aggression against Ukraine. International and Comparative Law Review, 23(1), 182–209. https://doi.org/10.2478/iclr-2023-0008
Jerabek, M. M., Ferreira de Andrade, A. M., & Figueroa, A. M. (2017). FIFA’s Hegemony: Examples from World Cup Hosting Countries. Global Society, 31(3), 417–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600826.2016.1261807
Jurič, J., & Rogelj, B. (2024). Geopolitics, sports and Russian-Ukrainian war. Geografski Pregled, 50, 9–28. https://doi.org/10.35666/23038950.2024.50.09
Kaempf, S. (2010). Russia: A Part of the West or Apart from the West? International Relations, 24(3), 313–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047117810377372
Kanso, H. (2018, June 21). Iran women’s activist vows to step up protest after Russia World Cup block. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-football-woman/iran-womens-activist-vows-to-step-up-protest-after-russia-world-cup-block-idUSKBN1JG357/
KarataŞ, İ. (2020). Was Israel a Western Project in Palestine? Journal of Islamicjerusalem Studies, 20(2), 189–206. https://doi.org/10.31456/beytulmakdis.777767
Krieger, J. (2025). National Symbols at the Olympic Games: An Olympics Without Flags? Taylor & Francis.
Lindholm, J. (2022). How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shook sports’ foundation. The International Sports Law Journal, 22(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40318-022-00211-8
Mahbubani, K. (1992). The West and the rest. The National Interest, 28, 3–12.
Maksum, A., Alimuddin, S. Z., Sahide, A., & Farid, M. (2024). Indonesia Should Recognise Israel? The Jokowi’s Last Dance to Host the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. International Area Studies Review, 27(2), 157–179. https://doi.org/10.69473/iasr.2024.27.2.157
Malone, E. (2015, March 21). Fifa announce €2.2bn profit from 2014 World Cup. Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/fifa-announce-2-2bn-profit-from-2014-world-cup-1.2147821
Mansoor, S. (2022, November 17). These Are the Countries FIFA Has Ever Banned From the World Cup. Time Magazine. https://time.com/6234776/countries-banned-world-cup-russia/
McNeill, W. H. (1997). What We Mean by the West. Orbis, 41, 513–523.
Mittelman, J. H. (1998). Coxian Historicism as an Alternative Perspective in International Studies. Alternatives: Global, Local, Political, 23(1), 63–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/030437549802300103
Moolakkattu, J. S. (2009). Robert W. Cox and Critical Theory of International Relations. International Studies, 46(4), 439–456. https://doi.org/10.1177/002088171004600404
Olishevska, V. (2023). Sport as a Tool of Power: the Case of the Russia’s War Against Ukraine. Історико-Політичні Проблеми Сучасного Світу, 48, 16–28. https://doi.org/10.31861/mhpi2023.48.16-28
Olley, J. (2022, November 19). World Cup: FIFA president Infantino slams Europe’s “hypocrisy” in speech. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37634014/world-cup-fifa-president-infantino-slams-europe-hypocrisy-astonishing-speech
Pielke, R. (2013). How can FIFA be held accountable? Sport Management Review, 16(3), 255–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2012.12.007
Pouliopoulos, T., & Georgiadis, K. (2021). FIFA and UEFA, a critical review of the two organizations through the lens of institutional theory and MacIntyre’s philosophical schema. Soccer & Society, 22(7), 778–790. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2021.1896498
Pronier, J. (2014, June 10). ‘Will FIFA free our sons?’: International football associations discuss the Israeli occupation ahead of the World Cup. Mondoweiss. https://mondoweiss.net/2014/06/international-associations-occupation/
Putra, H. T., Fachriza, A., Susanti, H., & RE, P. (2024). Indonesia’s Rejection of Israel in the 2023 U-20 World Cup: An International Law Perspective. Tirtayasa Journal of International Law, 3(2), 175–186. https://jurnal.untirta.ac.id/index.php/tirtayasatjil
Radhiansyah, E. R., Jovian, D., & Leonita, S. Z. (2023). Analisis Kewenangan FIFA atas Pencabutan Status Indonesia sebagai Tuan Rumah Piala Dunia Sepak Bola U-20 2023. Journal of Political Issues, 5(1), 16–34. https://doi.org/10.33019/jpi.v5i1.118
Reiche, D. (2018). Issues around the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia: A showcase of how sports and politics mix. Sport Und Gesellschaft, 15(2–3), 283–296. https://doi.org/10.1515/sug-2018-0013
Reuters. (2025, August 10). “Tell us how he died”: Salah criticises UEFA tribute to “Palestinian Pele.” Reuters.
Rossiter, E. (2024, December 15). Ukraine demands Fifa apology over Crimea map. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq5l49j6xw4o
Rumer, E., & Stent, A. (2009). Russia and the West. Survival, 51(2), 91–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/00396330902860835
Said, E. W. (1979). Orientalism. Vintage Books.
Sinclair, T. J. (2017). Robert W. Cox’s Method of Historical Structures Redux. In S. Brincat (Ed.), From International Relations to World Civilization: The Contribution of Robert W. Cox. Routledge.
Slater, M., & Rampling, A. (2025, April 3). FIFA president Gianni Infantino hopeful on Russia return to football ‘soon.’ New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6252289/2025/04/03/fifa-president-gianni-infantino-hopeful-on-russia-return-to-football-soon/
Steinbrink, M., Haferburg, C., & Ley, A. (2011). Festivalisation and urban renewal in the Global South: socio-spatial consequences of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. South African Geographical Journal, 93(1), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2011.567827
Storm, R. K., & Solberg, H. A. (2018). European Club Capitalism and FIFA Redistribution Models: An Analysis of Development Patterns in Globalized Football. Sport in Society, 21(11).
Sugden, J., & Tomlinson, A. (2020). Football and FIFA in the Postcolonial World. In Sport and Postcolonialism (pp. 175–196). Routledge.
Sugden, J., Tomlinson, A., & Darby, P. (1998). Fifa Versus UEFA in the Struggle for the Control of World Football. In Fanatics (pp. 11–31). Routledge.
Swart, K., & Hussain, U. (2023). FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar: Under the Gaze of Western Media (pp. 199–222). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0011-4_9
Tomlinson, A. (2000). FIFA and the men who made it. Soccer & Society, 1(1), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970008721248
Trenin, D. (2006). Russia Leaves the West. Foreign Affairs, 85(4), 87–96.
Trenin, D. (2007). Russia Redefines Itself and Its Relations with the West. The Washington Quarterly, 30(2), 95–105.
U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). Creation of Israel, 1948. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved August 13, 2025, from https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/creation-israel#:~:text=On%20May%2014%2C%201948%2C%20David,nation%20on%20the%20same%20day.
Vereté, M. (1970). The balfour declaration and its makers. Middle Eastern Studies, 6(1), 48–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/00263207008700138
Wijaya, G., Amarta Prayoga, R., Nurul Hakim, F., Solekha, N., & Purba, R. P. (2025). FIFA Hegemony in Indonesia: The Removal of U-20 World Cup Hosting. The Journal of Society and Media, 9(1), 121–158. https://doi.org/10.26740/jsm.v9n1.p121-158
Xenakis, D., & Lekakis, N. (2018). From Hasbara to the Palestine-Israel Sport Conflict. Diplomacy & Statecraft, 29(2), 328–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592296.2018.1453984