The World Islands

The World Islands

Qatar Is Using Its Influence on European Soccer to Get Israel Banned

It started with a lunch involving Sarkozy; billions of dollars later...

Shay Khatiri's avatar
Shay Khatiri
Sep 29, 2025
∙ Paid

NOTE: A shorter version of this essay was published in the Middle East Forum Observer.

On May 31, the French soccer club Paris Saint Germain (PSG) became European champion for the first time after dominating France for over a decade. This would have sounded absurd to a soccer fan in 2010. PSG owes its success to the commitment of then-President Nicolas S…

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