What does FIFA's dispute reveal about leadership?

Graham Daniels  |  Comment
Date posted:  19 Aug 2026
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What does FIFA's dispute reveal about leadership?

Gianni Infantino. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Some of the most powerful people in world football are currently arguing about power. And one of the things they apparently agree on is that leadership should not be about possessing it.

Amid threats of World Cup boycotts, breakaway competitions and an increasingly bitter struggle over Gianni Infantino’s future, one sentence in an extraordinary letter from three of FIFA’s confederation presidents stands out: "Leadership in football is not a possession. It is a duty of service."

That is quite a sentence in the middle of a fight for control of world football.

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