Paul Rouse: Gianni Infantino's football is in thrall to the dogs of war

POWER: FIFA President Gianni Infantino ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. Pic: Sam Corum/PA

Sports administrators almost invariably succumb to megalomania. Every issue is about them; every speech an opportunity to talk about their own story; every initiative a display of their own ‘genius’.

Of course, some of those who rise to the top were hard to take even before they assumed office. It is then no surprise that they disimprove when they stand on the pointy end of the pyramid.