"Five months out from the World Cup the politics are impossible to avoid. There are concerns relating to one of the host countries, the US, with armed immigration officials roaming through its cities and visa restrictions ramped up against foreign visitors. One qualifying nation, Iran, is experiencing a public uprising against its leadership, with the regime attacking its citizens in response."
"It sometimes feels as if this summer's tournament, the one Gianni Infantino recently described as the greatest show ever on planet Earth, will serve as an inescapable reminder of the depressing state of the world in 2026. It could yet be an event that goes down in infamy. But it is hardly the only tournament to have prompted ethical concerns and serves as a reminder that the issue of how global sport should engage with such issues has remained largely unresolved."
Five months before the World Cup, political controversies surround the tournament. The United States faces criticism for armed immigration officials and tightened visa restrictions for foreign visitors. Iran’s qualification coincides with a public uprising and violent repression by the regime. Other qualifiers raise concerns about democratic backsliding in Tunisia, ecological crimes in Ecuador, and human-rights issues in future host Saudi Arabia. Comparisons to past tournaments show recurring ethical dilemmas; Argentina’s 1978 World Cup under military dictatorship sparked Amnesty International’s campaign “Fussball ja, Folter nein,” and prompted individual protest such as West Germany’s Paul Breitner refusing to play.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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