Documentary · Human Rights Foundation

Power Plays

by Human Rights Foundation

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 Italy’s fascists in 1934, to Argentina’s military junta in 1978, to Russia’s kleptocratic police state in 2018, to Qatar’s monarchy built on the backs of exploited migrant workers in 2022. We also look ahead to the 2030 and 2034 World Cups in Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Whether you like football or geopolitics — whether you plan to watch the World Cup or turn it off in protest — these stories matter far beyond the game. This podcast was produced by Elie Bleier, Robert Scaramuccia, and HRF’s multimedia team.

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Latest episodes

Showing 6 · updated from the feed

5. The Power of Football

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 yea

Jun 11
28 min

4. The Story of Qatar's World Cup Whistleblower

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 world—declaring “today I feel ga

Jun 4
44 min

3. Pussy Riot and Putin’s World Cup

In 2015, Swiss authorities—working with the FBI—raided a luxury hotel in Zurich and arrested top FIFA officials in a corruption scandal tied to how World Cups were awarde

May 28
45 min

2. Pelé, the Dirty Wars, and the Monster in the Streets

By 1978, the World Cup was a global spectacle—broadcasted into millions of homes and increasingly valuable to those in power. That year, it came to Argentina, under a mil

May 21
39 min

1. The Fascist World Cup

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 diplomacy—but more

May 21
30 min

Welcome to Power Plays

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 journali

May 20
2 min