{"podcast":{"title":"Power Plays","slug":"power-plays-7863950","podcast_index_feed_id":7863950,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/power-plays/","website_url":"https://hrf.org/podcast/power-plays/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/c35a0665-c59d-4697-ad69-888e0ef2d773/Untitled-design-2.png","author":"Human Rights Foundation","episode_count":4,"summary":"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.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/power-plays-7863950"},"episode":{"title":"1. The Fascist World Cup","slug":"1-the-fascist-world-cup","published_at":"2026-05-21T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/power-plays-7863950/1-the-fascist-world-cup","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/power-plays-7863950","url":"https://hrf.org/podcast/power-plays/","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/bd9e3138-c804-4889-8bae-368295950d12.mp3","summary":"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 .","meta_description":"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 dip…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1856,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/power-plays-7863950/episodes/1-the-fascist-world-cup/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/power-plays-7863950/1-the-fascist-world-cup.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}