Pål Ødegård
@podegard.bsky.social
Former sailor, chef and active freelance journalist focusing on the dark side of football, mostly for Josimarfootball.com. Norwegian alternating between Valencia, Spain and Trondheim, Norway. #everyrhingiswrong
Here’s this week’s cartoon for @sport.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/football/pic...
David Squires on … Gianni Infantino clinging to power as his Fifa empire crumbles
Our resident cartoon imagines some of the crisis talks at Fifa as its president scrambles for support after a botched World Cup plan
theguardian.com
In a better world, Miguel Maduro, the author of this article, would be among the first people drafted in to work on the complete reboot of Fifa. The headline is provocative; but, like @tariqpanja.bsky.social, I agree it is correct. Removing Infantino is only the pre-condition of an overhaul.
Infantino is not the problem
Fifa’s regulatory functions must be separated from its commercial activities
ft.com
Altså, at @tv2sport.no fortsatt siterer Fabrizio Romano er nesten et større selvmål enn det Gianni Cash har gjort 🤦🏼
"This could be the moment when the process of reclaiming and reforming the governance of football begins". A reminder of @davidgoldblatt.bsky.social's column. josimarfootball.com/2026/07/14/d...
Dystopia - josimarfootball.com
Every World Cup is meant to have a legacy, this one could be the moment when the process of reclaiming and reforming the governance of football begins.
josimarfootball.com
The Icarus moment has arrived for Gianni Infantino? It certainly looks like it
Sam Kunti@samindrakunti.bsky.social · 5d agoCarlos Cordeiro has resigned. Senior advisor to Infantino. Ex banker and Infantino's connection to the financial world. Said he had no involvement in the Kushner proposal.
It’s not a question of bribery; it’s a question of governance. Good governance avoids putting people in a position where they’re being asked to vote on a major structural change while simultaneously being offered substantial financial benefits. #FIFA #Infantino
Sam Kunti@samindrakunti.bsky.social · last wk.Part of Infantino's letter to member associations. Senior source called the second $20 million, in particular, 'a bribe.'
- Sources say Infantino has been working on this plan for over a year, going back to Club World Cup - None of inner circle knew - suspicion that it was developed with financial interests connected to Trump www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Rogue agent Infantino and the unfinished World Cup plan that enraged his allies
Not even Infantino’s inner circle or closest advisors at Fifa knew his privatisation project, writes Miguel Delaney - but will anger from even his key strongholds derail him?
independent.co.uk
Statement from the Romanian FA. "Categorically opposes the initiative coming from FIFA's leadership" + "FRF is suspending the discussion regarding the support of FIFA President Gianni Infantino for a new term"
It is very hard to see how anything other than a secession of all UEFA countries from Fifa (which other confederations would follow, as the WC is worth very little without European teams and markets) can put a stop to the assault Infantino and his US friends are leading on football.
Just think about it. Infantino can sell this idea (how hard is it to sell lots of money for a vote anyway?) as Fifa president, then put himself as head of the commission, set his own terms, and stay in real power forever.
The New York Times@nytimes.com · last wk.From @theathleticfc.bsky.social: FIFA has announced plans to sell a large minority stake in the World Cup. Under the plan, FIFA’s total development funding would top $10 billion over the next four years. Unsurprisingly, the idea is the brainchild of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Coubertin and Rimet must have more revolutions in their graves by now than my favourite vinyls..
Fifa’s plan is worse than the Super League But it’s time for the world to watch who sells off their tournament Hiding behind dull Fifa politics won’t cut it this time Where’s the resistance? www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
Fifa plan to sell World Cup is gravest threat to football yet - will anyone stop it?
Fifa’s latest money-spinning wheeze, to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investment, has been met with horror. Now its member associations must make a stand against ‘football’s nuclear bomb...
independent.co.uk
Vozinha, Cape Verde's goalkeeper and World Cup revelation, has signed for the Chilean giant Colo Colo. The Chilean league, however, doesn't allow nicknames on their jerseys. He might become Josimar again
Vurderer seriøst å flytte til Argentina og drikke Fernet og cola, spise grillmat hver dag, og ikke minst, gjøre narr av engelskmenn som gjør narr av argentinere
Muchos argentinos han condenado los cánticos racistas y el comportamiento agresivo de sus jugadores en el Mundial, pero rechazaron lo que se sintió como un sentimiento antiargentino y una estigmatización generalizada de toda su nación.
Los argentinos tienen algo que decir ante las críticas tras el Mundial
Muchos argentinos condenaron los cánticos racistas y el comportamiento agresivo de sus jugadores, pero rechazaron lo que se sintió como una estigmatización generalizada de toda su nación.
nyti.ms
Vurderer å dra på Lerkendal i dag med Argentina-trøye med Paredes på ryggen
FIFA pledged to cut the World Cup's emissions in half by 2030. Then it took Saudi Aramco — one of the largest oil companies on Earth — as an official partner. On final day, private jet pollution around New York doubled.
In the past few weeks the the United States got to know the world and itself in ways that were often unexpected and joyous. A piece on six weeks where the people took over. America Braced for the World Cup. It Fell in Love Instead. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/19/w...
The U.S. Braced For the World Cup. It Fell in Love Instead. (Gift Article)
Amid anxiety over how the United States would welcome the world, cities like Lawrence, Kan., and Boston threw open their doors. The bonds forged are still visible on the streets.
nytimes.com
Follow link below, to @josimarfootball.bsky.social, to read the full text of Alain Berset's statement.
Before the final whistle - josimarfootball.com
The Fifa World Cup 2026 has raised question after question.
josimarfootball.com
Philippe Auclair@philippeauclair.bsky.social · 2w agoThis is unprecedented. Former Swiss president and current GenSec of the Council of Europe Alain Berset addresses an open letter to Fifa which will cause serious discomfort in Zurich.
Elected vice president of US Soccer Nathan Goldberg Crenier going where leaders of global football have refused to do so far. While they’re all muttering privately and quietly, he’s laid it all out here: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Infantino’s Faustian bargain with Trump has stained football’s biggest stage
Gianni Infantino sought influence with Donald Trump. Instead, Fifa’s president has entangled football in politics and wounded the game’s credibility
theguardian.com
As we brace ourselves for the sacrilege of a WC final half-time show, a reminder that Shakira (and her co-writer Ed Sheeran among others) stand to make a lot of money from their "anthem", despite assurances that "all proceeds" would go to charity.
Do it again - josimarfootball.com
Fifa's favourite pop singer Shakira stands to make a small fortune from her new World Cup official anthem despite pledges that all proceeds of "Dai Dai" would go to the Fifa Global Citizen Education F...
josimarfootball.com
The final crowns a winner. Yet the World Cup’s real legacy lies off the pitch: at borders, on policed streets, in Fifa’s opaque governance, betting markets, authoritarian states, and among those its spectacle pushed aside. Op-ed for @josimarfootball.bsky.social josimarfootball.com/2026/07/17/t...
The World Cup Legacy Fifa Does Not Want to Talk About - josimarfootball.com
The final will crown a champion, but the 2026 World Cup's true legacy lies far from the pitch.
josimarfootball.com
This is unprecedented. Former Swiss president and current GenSec of the Council of Europe Alain Berset addresses an open letter to Fifa which will cause serious discomfort in Zurich.
Fifa gives fraud ‘an open door’ with betting, says Council of Europe chief
Alain Berset said Fifa’s deal with a prediction market company and Folarin Balogun’s reprieve meant urgent work was needed on ‘the integrity of the sport’
theguardian.com
Og her er en knallgod kommentar om hvorfor afrikanske ledere holder kjeft, selv om de syns Infantino er en dott. josimarfootball.com/2026/07/18/a...
An Open Letter to the President of Fifa - josimarfootball.com
Op-ed by Adjib Koulamallah, magistrate, former president of Gazelle FC and Deputy Secretary General of the Chadian Football Federation. “Mr. President, I speak at the very moment when my entire contin...
josimarfootball.com
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will travel to the U.S. this weekend to watch the FIFA Men’s World Cup final. U.S. President Donald Trump will also attend, setting up a potentially awkward encounter with one of his most outspoken European critics.
Spain’s Sánchez to attend FIFA World Cup final alongside Trump
Awkward.
politico.eu
Yikes! Why are we paying the penalty for the ultra wealthy jetting around? Massive tax incentives allow private jetters to fly and dump emissions impact *and* cost on the rest of us. Enough is enough, tax private jets! taxprivatejets.org#petition
Tax Private Jets
Billionaires are roasting the planet -- and making the rest of us pick up the tab. Learn how we're fighting private jets, the most antisocial habit of the billionaire class.
taxprivatejets.org
Tax Private Jets@taxprivatejets.org · 3w agoNew data: Private jet carbon emissions in Dallas and Atlanta 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 *𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱* during the World Cup semifinals. 3,560 takeoffs and landings. 11.78 kilotons of *excess* carbon, above the 5-year average for those cities. Tax private jets. 🟥🛩️ taxprivatejets.org
And again. It’s a bloody World Cup semifinal. Cost of greed on display.
