Ryan Knudson
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
In 2015, FIFA was in freefall.
FIFA's longtime president, Sepp Blatter, had just stepped down in disgrace.
More than a dozen officials had been indicted.
Some pleaded guilty.
Others were convicted at trial.
A few served prison time in the U.S.
We tell that story in episode one, which came out last Sunday.
So FIFA needed to move forward.
And the nonprofit that oversees the world's most watched sporting event was looking for a new president.
How do you run for FIFA president?
What's the process like for choosing a president of FIFA?
The man who ended up winning the job was Gianni Infantino.
He'd been in charge of UEFA, the European soccer body.
And he promised big changes at FIFA.
My colleagues Jonathan Clegg and Joshua Robinson told me the story.
His platform was basically... Make FIFA great again?
Essentially, yes.
From the Journal, this is our two-part Sunday special on the World Cup.
I'm Ryan Knudson.
It's June 14th.