Opinion | Fifa president Gianni Infantino plays the global game: how football has become a subtle but strong diplomacy tool

It would be really interesting to see Fifa President Gianni Infantino’s burgeoning air miles account, which would inevitably reveal details of a man who spends his time shuttling between countries across the world. And there are some more miles to come, as he will soon be travelling Stateside to attend Fifa’s next Council meeting in Miami due to take place on the 14th and 15th of this month.

Extensive travel is to be expected when working for Fifa; after all, Infantino is the leader of world football and of a governing body that has a membership numbering more than 200 nations. On top of this, there’s an upcoming Fifa presidential election in which the Swiss-Italian sports official will stand, albeit unopposed. Canvassing and lobbying are on the agenda, and have been for some time.

It’s a classic example of ‘retail politics’, where strong campaigning from the day a leader assumes power reduces the likelihood of credible opposition emerging.

However, Infantino keeps appearing in unexpected places, many of which seem unrelated to the machinations of a governing body’s electoral process. For instance, over the last year or two, he has spoken at a G20 Summit and the World Economic Forum in Davos – an impressive roster of visits for someone who represents groups of people involved in kicking a ball.

Indeed, such has been Infantino’s predisposition for travel that, last year, a New York Times journalist put in an information request to Fifa. The journalist asked for a record of the official’s flights in the preceding months, though access to this information was refused by the Zurich based governing body.