Afleveringen
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With the World Cup now underway in North America, this season finale of Power Plays explores what comes next for football and FIFA. From the politics surrounding this year's tournament to future World Cups in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, we examine how the game continues to shapeâand be shapedâby power.
Over the course of Season 1, weâve traveled from Mussoliniâs Italy to Argentina's military junta, Putinâs Russia, and Qatar's controversial World Cup. Along the way, weâve seen how football has been used to project global influence and advance political ambitions. Now, we end with a simple questionâwhat should we do with all that weâve learned?
We donât pretend to have all the answers, but perhaps it starts here: When you love something, you should want to make it better⊠because the next chapter of the beautiful game is still being written.
In this episode, youâll learn:Footballâs role in Egypt's 2011 uprisingHow Infantino has reshaped FIFA's relationship with world leadersWhy Morocco's youth are pushing backThe hidden costs of hosting the World CupSaudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and footballShould fans boycott the World Cup?What it means to love football without ignoring its political realities
Connect:Website: hrf.orgInstagram: @hrfYouTube: @humanrightsfdnFacebook: humanrightsfoundationX: @HRFWeâve partnered with La Media Inglesa to bring you the full episode on YouTube, out now.
Created by Karim Zidan and Elie Bleier.
Produced by Elie Bleier and Robert Scaramuccia.
Media strategy by Guillermo Purchese and Marielle Marlys.
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On the eve of the 2022 World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino took the stage in Doha and delivered a speech that stunned the football worldâdeclaring âtoday I feel gay⊠today I feel like a migrant worker," while pushing back on criticism of Qatar. as he defended Qatar against mounting criticism over its hosting of the tournament.
In this episode, we travel to Qatar, where the World Cupâs âsuccessâ was built on the labor of millions of migrant workersâmany facing stolen wages, extreme heat, and dangerous conditions. We trace how Qatar won the tournament, how FIFAâs leadership protected it, and how criticism was managed or silenced, told through the story of Abdullah Ibhais, who witnessed the atrocities firsthand.
In this episode, youâll learn:Why Qatar wanted to host the World Cup in the first placeHow Qatar won the World Cup, despite major concernsHow the kafala system controls migrant workersWhat Abdullah saw when he spoke to workersHow protesting workers were treatedWhy worker abuse was treated as a PR problemWhat happened after Abdullah refused to complyHow the World Cup played out as a human rights crisis
Connect:Website: hrf.orgInstagram: @hrfYouTube: @humanrightsfdnFacebook: humanrightsfoundationX: @HRFComing soon! Weâve partnered with La Media Inglesa to bring you the full episode on YouTube, premiering in June 2026.
Created by Karim Zidan and Elie Bleier.
Produced by Elie Bleier and Robert Scaramuccia.
Media strategy by Guillermo Purchese and Marielle Marlys.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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In 2015, Swiss authoritiesâworking with the FBIâraided a luxury hotel in Zurich and arrested top FIFA officials in a corruption scandal tied to how World Cups were awarded.
Three years later, Russia hosted the tournament anyway.
In Putinâs Russia, repression was not hidden. Journalists were silenced. Political opponents were imprisoned. And yet, as millions of fans arrived and billions watched, the country projected an image of openness, efficiency, and national pride.
In this episode, we trace how Russia secured the World Cup amid FIFA corruptionâand how that image was challenged during the final, when Pussy Riot stormed the pitch, revealing the risks of dissent.
In this episode, youâll learn: How FBI agents arrested FIFA officialsWhy Russia kept the 2018 World Cup despite the scandalHow Putin spent $50 billion on the Sochi OlympicsHow FIFAâs voting system made corruption possibleWhy Russiaâs human rights abuses were already widely knownWhat Pussy Riot risked by storming the World Cup finalWhat their protest revealed about power in Putinâs Russia
Connect:Website: hrf.orgInstagram: @hrfYouTube: @humanrightsfdnFacebook: humanrightsfoundationX: @HRFComing soon! Weâve partnered with La Media Inglesa to bring you the full episode on YouTube, premiering in June 2026.
Created by Karim Zidan and Elie Bleier.
Produced by Elie Bleier and Robert Scaramuccia.
Media strategy by Guillermo Purchese and Marielle Marlys.
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By 1978, the World Cup was a global spectacleâbroadcasted into millions of homes and increasingly valuable to those in power. That year, it came to Argentina, under a military dictatorship.
Just miles from the stadiums, thousands were being detained, tortured, and disappeared, while inside them, there were celebrations and a carefully constructed image of national unity.
Power Plays is a podcast about how authoritarian governments use sport to make their power look legitimateâshaping perception and controlling the stories the world is told. In this episode, that strategy spreads from one country to the next. From Mexico to Germany to Argentina, regimes use the World Cup to project power and shape how theyâre seen by the world.
In this episode, youâll learn: Mexico 1970 & the rise of global TV audiencesGermany 1974 & the tournamentâs expansionThe 1978 World Cup in Buenos Aires, near detention & torture sitesVidela presenting the trophy as Argentina wonThe Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo protestingArgentinaâs controversial 6â0 win over PeruThe juntaâs effort to present Argentina as stable and unified
Connect:Website: hrf.orgInstagram: @hrfYouTube: @humanrightsfdnFacebook: humanrightsfoundationX: @HRFComing soon! Weâve partnered with La Media Inglesa to bring you the full episode on YouTube, premiering in June 2026.
Created by Karim Zidan and Elie Bleier.
Produced by Elie Bleier and Robert Scaramuccia.
Media strategy by Guillermo Purchese and Marielle Marlys.
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In 1934, tens of thousands packed into a stadium in Rome, where Italy would go on to win the World Cup.
It should have been a celebration of sport and diplomacyâbut more so, it was a carefully staged display of power.
As Italy lifted the trophy on home soil, Benito Mussolini used the tournament to manufacture nationalism and reshape how the world understood his regime. Ahead, we return to that moment to understand what was really at play.
Power Plays is a podcast about how authoritarian governments use sport to shape perception, control narratives, and legitimize power. From fascist Italy to modern-day regimes, this series traces how the World Cup has been used for something far beyond fraternal competition.
In this episode, youâll learn:How authoritarian regimes use sport to legitimize powerRimetâs idealism vs. Mussoliniâs manipulationHow the 1934 World Cup rebranded fascist ItalyThe violent, controversial matches (including the quarterfinal against Spain)How the infrastructure & media staged a controlled national imageWhy foreign journalists praised Italyâs efficiency & âmodernityâWhy there was hardly any visible dissent
Connect:Website: hrf.orgInstagram: @hrfYouTube: @humanrightsfdnFacebook: humanrightsfoundationX: @HRFComing soon! Weâve partnered with La Media Inglesa to bring you the full episode on YouTube, premiering in June 2026.
Created by Karim Zidan and Elie Bleier.
Produced by Elie Bleier and Robert Scaramuccia.
Media strategy by Guillermo Purchese and Marielle Marlys.
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Behind your favorite sport, there is always something else at play.
Power Plays is a new investigative podcast from the Human Rights Foundation hosted by sports journalist and HRF Sports and Dictators Program Lead Karim Zidan, exposing how authoritarian regimes weaponize sports for political influence.
Season 1 explores the regimes that have exploited the FIFA World Cup over the last century, from Italyâs fascists in 1934, to Argentinaâs military junta in 1978, to Russiaâs kleptocratic police state in 2018, to Qatarâs monarchy built on the backs of exploited migrant workers in 2022. We also look ahead to the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, which will be hosted â and used â by authoritarian regimes in Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
Power Plays reveals whatâs happening beyond the headlines. Whether you like football or geopolitics â whether you plan to watch the World Cup or turn it off in protest â these stories matter.
