FIFA drops anti-racism, anti-discrimination messages for Club World Cup

New York Times

4 hours ago

FIFA has decided not to show any videos, signage or marketing assets in venues hosting the Club World Cup in the United States which explicitly mention challenging racism or discrimination.
According to multiple sources briefed on FIFA's planning for the tournament, the world football governing body did develop promotional materials in the months leading up to the tournament for their 'no racism' and 'no discrimination' campaign but it has not been visible during the opening round of fixtures at the tournament in stadiums or on social media platforms.
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This approach represents a significant change from previous competitions, such as the Women's World Cup in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand and the men's World Cup in 2022 in Qatar when messages were shown in the stadium on big screens and on social media.
FIFA has also not performed any announcements within its stadiums explaining the anti-racism protocols or the organisation's 'universal anti-racism gesture' which was rolled out in September last year and was supposed to be applied to all competitions.
The reasons for FIFA's apparent change of policy are not known. Earlier this year, the NFL Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles marked the first time since February 2021 that 'End Racism' was not included as a message in the back of a Super Bowl end zone. This was widely interpreted as a nod to the current climate in the U.S. where many corporations and institutions are abandoning their diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
FIFA's President Gianni Infantino has developed a close bond with President Donald Trump's administration, even attending a Trump pre-inauguration rally, the inauguration itself and visiting the White House. FIFA did not respond when asked if the current political climate in the U.S. played any part in their decision. They did point to their statutes, which say 'FIFA remain neutral in matters of politics.'
At the Women's World Cup in 2023, FIFA also rolled out a series of social causes, with armbands at the Women's World Cup such as 'Unite for Inclusion' and 'Unite for Indigenous Peoples', 'Unite for Gender Equality', 'Unite for Peace', 'Unite for Education for All', 'Unite for Zero Hunger', 'Unite for Ending Violence Against Women' and 'Football is Joy, Peace, Love, Hope & Passion'. These messages were visible on captain's armbands, as well as being shared on LED advertising boards around the stadium. They were also present on giant screens and on flags.
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In Qatar, FIFA blocked a small number of European nations from wearing a 'OneLove' armband, which was perceived to be challenging homophobia in a country that criminalises same-sex relations, but FIFA's own campaigns during the tournament included the following slogans: No Discrimination, Save the Planet, Protect Children, End Hunger, Education for All and Be Active.
At this tournament, the only visible signs have been the non specific 'Football Unites the World' slogan, which has been present on captain's armbands, and a Dance Cam, partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO), which includes the strapline 'Be Active.' FIFA have maintained their partnership with the WHO but President Trump has signed an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the organisation.
There has been no Twitter messaging at all on the official FIFA Club World Cup account about FIFA's no discrimination or no racism campaigns.
FIFA have been asked whether the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada in 2026, will include messaging about its anti-discrimination and anti-racism campaigns but they did not answer the question.
Only last month, FIFA President Infantino urged policy makers and legislators globally to join FIFA in the fight against racism and discrimination by imposing criminal penalties on offenders, claiming FIFA cannot win the battle alone.
He said: 'FIFA's Global Stand Against Racism called for the football world to take action, to educate, to raise awareness and, when necessary, to punish,' he said.
'Racism and discrimination — they are not just wrong, they are crimes.'
In a statement to The Athletic, FIFA did not explain why they have reduced their in-tournament messaging for this competition in the United States.
A FIFA spokesperson said: 'FIFA has a firm, zero-tolerance stance against all forms of discrimination and racism. This commitment was recently reinforced through the unanimous approval by the FIFA Council of the revised FIFA Disciplinary Code, which introduces new measures to fight racist abuse — including increased minimum bans for racist incidents and enhanced financial penalties as duly informed to the 75th FIFA Congress in Asuncion in May 2025.'
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They also said their three-step anti-discrimination procedure is in effect should incidents occur, while also saying a social media protection service is available to players and match officials, which helps hide abuse from their social media channels.
(Top image: Carl Juste/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)