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FIFA World Cup and Olympics cited as Coe warns of politicians near sport

From Al Jazeera · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • World Athletics President Sebastian Coe warned against excessive political interference in global sports.
  • He cited FIFA's handling of a World Cup red card controversy and Donald Trump's call to Infantino as examples.
  • Coe also discussed the increasing role of private equity and sovereign wealth funds in sports.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe advocates for a careful balance in the relationship between politicians and global sports organizations, likening it to keeping politicians "on the bus but not letting them anywhere near the steering wheel."

The balance is keeping the politicians on the bus but not letting them anywhere near the steering wheel.

— Sebastian CoeDescribing his approach to avoiding political interference in global sports.

Speaking at the European championships, Coe addressed concerns about political interference, particularly in the context of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He referenced the controversy surrounding a red card at the FIFA World Cup, where U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to urge the overturning of a suspension for player Folarin Balogun. FIFA subsequently lifted the ban, drawing criticism.

I ran the London Games. I know it’s really important that you have really good working relationships with government, prime ministers.

— Sebastian CoeReflecting on his experience organizing the 2012 London Olympics.

Coe, a former member of the British parliament and organizer of the 2012 London Olympics, stressed the importance of maintaining good working relationships with governments for the successful delivery of major events. However, he emphasized the need for sporting bodies to possess the resilience to decline political influence on specific sporting matters, stating, "I hear what you say, but thank you and goodnight."

The delivery of the Games is in large part predicated on those relationships – with Treasury, Defence, Homeland Security, in our terms the Home Office.

— Sebastian CoeExplaining the necessity of government cooperation for event delivery.

The World Athletics president also touched upon the financial landscape of sports, noting the growing involvement of private equity and sovereign wealth funds. He mentioned that FIFA President Infantino faced challenges after a plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity investors. Coe indicated that such financial partnerships are not uncommon, with individual athletics federations currently exploring similar revenue streams.

I hear what you say, but thank you and goodnight.

— Sebastian CoeIllustrating the need for sporting organizations to resist undue political influence.
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Originally published by Al Jazeera. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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