The hypocrisy of both the sports and political fraternity in handling recent politicization of sports is rather telling. Whether it is the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or FIFA; the United States or the Ukranian president; the European Union or the upset protesters; the selective outcry is telling. While sports is all about level playing field, the decisions by both the sports administrators and politicians are looking more and more about self-preservation. FIFA president Giovanni Infantino was seen wearing a MAGA style cap while attending the Board of Peace meeting, clearly a middle finger to FIFA’s own Code of Ethics. (more…)

It has been more than month since the Court of Arbitration for Sports affirmed that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) used altered, falsified and forged documents for the naturalisation and eligibility process of seven players, despite the players having no connection to Malaysia. After considering the evidence, the CAS Panel found that the infraction of falsifying eligibility documents was established and that players bore complicit responsibility in this fraud. The FAM itself accepted the existence of “institutional shortcomings” and did not dispute that it may bear responsibility in violating the FIFA Disciplinary Code. That is the truth revealed by…

The cost of mixing politics with sports can no longer be ignored. From FIFA awarding Donald Trump with an underserved Peace Award; to Indian cricketers refusing to shake the hands of rivals Pakistan; to Indonesia refusing to allow Israeli gymnasts to participate in the World Cup, the stigma of politics being attached to sports is undeniable. According to FIFA, the Peace Award was to reward individuals who had taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world. The blatant racism and mass deportation of migrants at home, actions against transgender athletes, threatening…