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 awarded.

Three years later, Russia hosted the tournament anyway.

In Putin’s 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 corruption—and how that image was challenged during the final, when Pussy Riot stormed the pitch, revealing the risks of dissent.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How FBI agents arrested FIFA officials
• Why Russia kept the 2018 World Cup despite the scandal
• How Putin spent $50 billion on the Sochi Olympics
• How FIFA’s voting system made corruption possible
• Why Russia’s human rights abuses were already widely known
• What Pussy Riot risked by storming the World Cup final
• What their protest revealed about power in Putin’s Russia

Connect:

• Website: hrf.org
• Instagram: @hrf
• YouTube: @humanrightsfdn
• Facebook: humanrightsfoundation
• X: @HRF

Coming soon! We’ve 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.

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 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 legitimate—shaping 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 they’re seen by the world.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Mexico 1970 & the rise of global TV audiences
• Germany 1974 & the tournament’s expansion
• The 1978 World Cup in Buenos Aires, near detention & torture sites
• Videla presenting the trophy as Argentina won
• The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo protesting
• Argentina’s controversial 6–0 win over Peru
• The junta’s effort to present Argentina as stable and unified

Connect:

• Website: hrf.org
• Instagram: @hrf
• YouTube: @humanrightsfdn
• Facebook: humanrightsfoundation
• X: @HRF

Coming soon! We’ve 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.

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 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, you’ll learn:

• How authoritarian regimes use sport to legitimize power
• Rimet’s idealism vs. Mussolini’s manipulation
• How the 1934 World Cup rebranded fascist Italy
• The violent, controversial matches (including the quarterfinal against Spain)
• How the infrastructure & media staged a controlled national image
• Why foreign journalists praised Italy’s efficiency & “modernity”
• Why there was hardly any visible dissent

Connect:

• Website: hrf.org
• Instagram: @hrf
• YouTube: @humanrightsfdn
• Facebook: humanrightsfoundation
• X: @HRF

Coming soon! We’ve 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.