FIFA pledge for Gaza stadium sparks debate over postwar priorities

Yesterday 14:20

By: Dakir Madiha

FIFA pledge for Gaza stadium sparks debate over postwar priorities

FIFA has promised to spend $50 million on a new national soccer stadium in the Gaza Strip, unveiling the plan at the first meeting of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace in Washington as part of a broader reconstruction drive for the war‑devastated territory. The commitment comes as international institutions estimate that roughly $70 billion will be needed to rebuild basic infrastructure after more than two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas, leaving large parts of Gaza without adequate housing, functioning hospitals, potable water, or reliable electricity. At the Washington gathering, nine governments pledged a combined $7 billion in assistance for Gaza and five others signaled they would contribute troops to an international stabilization force, while Trump himself announced a separate $10 billion U.S. contribution without clarifying how it would be allocated or financed.

Under the plan presented to the Board of Peace, FIFA would bankroll a 20,000‑ to 25,000‑seat stadium, a $15 million football academy, 50 small “arena mini pitches” near schools and residential neighborhoods, and five full‑sized fields across the enclave, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino saying the overall investment would total about $75 million. Infantino argued that rebuilding Gaza must include restoring social bonds and a sense of normal life, insisting that football can help “rebuild people, emotion, hope and trust” even as the territory struggles to repair homes, schools, hospitals, and roads. A glossy promotional video using artificial‑intelligence imagery of gleaming stadiums and players emerging from ruins accompanied his remarks, portraying a future in which children play on bright green pitches surrounded by new construction and enthusiastic crowds. During the event, Infantino briefly wore a red “USA” cap emblazoned with “45‑47,” a reference to Trump’s two nonconsecutive presidential terms, underscoring the personal rapport between the two men.

The Board of Peace meeting highlighted both the scale of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and the political theater surrounding the new reconstruction vehicle, which some critics view as an attempt to rival or sideline existing multilateral efforts led by the United Nations, European Union, and World Bank. While Trump celebrated the $7 billion in commitments as a breakthrough, that figure represents only about a tenth of what international assessments say is required to restore Gaza’s shattered infrastructure, including an estimated $20 billion in urgent needs over the first three years alone. Key U.S. partners such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Canada did not join the board, and there was no Palestinian representation, prompting accusations that decisions about Gaza’s future are being made without those most affected. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, condemned the structure as a “colonialist operation” in which outside powers are effectively determining Gaza’s fate on behalf of Palestinians.

The formal partnership between FIFA and the Board of Peace also reflects Infantino’s increasingly visible role in Trump‑era diplomacy, with the FIFA chief making repeated visits to the White House in the run‑up to the 2026 World Cup and appearing at several of Trump’s international events. Last year, FIFA honored Trump with a newly created peace prize at the World Cup draw after his unsuccessful bid for a Nobel Peace Prize, a gesture the president cited while joking that he preferred Infantino’s job to his own. The two men signed their latest agreement at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace Headquarters, where Infantino joined business figure Yakir Gabay, a Gaza executive board member, and other officials to endorse football as a tool for reconciliation in the strip. Yet fundamental political and security questions remain unresolved, including how and when Hamas would be disarmed, when Israeli forces might fully withdraw, and how humanitarian aid will reach a population still enduring displacement and sporadic violence despite the current ceasefire, during which more than 600 Palestinians have been reported killed by the Gaza Health Ministry.