TMID Editorial: A World Cup that became more than football<\/p>\n
The FIFA World Cup has come and gone. Spain emerged victorious with a tournament performance that was beyond anything else clinical. <\/p>\n
They played their opponents off the pitch, including in the tournament’s final against Argentina, where they restricted a team featuring Lionel Messi to ending normal time with zero shots – dominance that is very, very rare on a football pitch. Argentina ended the match with two shots in the last minutes of extra time as they desperately pushed for an equaliser to Ferran Torres’ opening goal.<\/p>\n
The match brought to a close a tournament that, on several occasions, found itself in the headlines for matters off the pitch rather than on the pitch. The FIFA World Cup is football’s biggest and most awaited spectacle – and it is precisely the football that should be dominating the headlines, not the politics.<\/p>\n
But perhaps it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that this wasn’t the case.<\/p>\n
The early signs were there, as countries faced visa trouble with members of staff and even players. This was especially the case for Iraq and Iran, not known to be friends of the United States. <\/p>\n
Iran – whose participation was in doubt after the US launching a bombing campaign against them – in particular where hard hit: they were forced to set up camp in Mexico, fly in to the USA for their matches, and then leave immediately after. It led to Iran’s coach telling the press that he firmly believed that the US did not want Iran to remain in the tournament.<\/p>\n
Indeed, when Iran was eventually knocked out, US homeland security secretary, Markwayne Mullin said that he was “so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the US soil, and I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.”<\/p>\n
When the US were knocked out later in the tournament, the Iranian national team’s official Instagram account could not resist posting a screenshot of the drubbing the US received from Belgium with the caption “dance with me.”<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most astonishing incident, however, concerned US striker Folarin Balogun. He received a straight red card during their 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32, meaning that he was meant to be suspended for the subsequent clash against Belgium in the next round.<\/p>\n
However, in news that shocked world football, FIFA decided to suspend the match ban for a year – meaning that Balogun could play. US President Donald Trump then brazenly admitted that he had called up FIFA President Gianni Infantino to get the suspension rescinded, and praised FIFA for the decision.<\/p>\n
Belgium meanwhile were left trying to figure out what had happened – as no explanation was offered by FIFA’s kangaroo court – and the governing body ruled that their request for an explanation of Balogun’s suspended red card was “inadmissible,” and that Belgium therefore had no grounds to appeal.<\/p>\n
The incident drew widespread condemnation from sporting and political bodies the world over. FIFA has not been known to have a particularly clean slate when it comes to dodgy dealings, but never have its actions been so brazen – so in your face – and so plainly corrupt as this.<\/p>\n
It was perhaps cosmic karma at play that – even with Balogun in the starting lineup – the US were sent packing out of the tournament by the Belgians, who emerged with a consummate 4-1 win from the match.<\/p>\n
The suspicion on the matter does not end there, though. <\/p>\n
A report issued this week by the Group of Copenhagen – an independent international network dedicated to detecting, sanctioning, and preventing the manipulation of sports competitions – found that on the same day of Balogun’s red card, Polymarket opened a market on July 2 asking, “Will Folarin Balogun play against Belgium?” <\/p>\n
The Group of Copenhagen’s report said no other such markets were opened for the other 14 players who were shown a red card during the tournament – none of whom had bans suspended.<\/p>\n
Polymarket is an online prediction market, which allows people to bet on the outcome of future events, with odds varying in accordance to their probability. It is very popular in the US, and has also been tied to several instance of insider trading – where people with inside knowledge on a matter bet money on an outcome that they know will happen.<\/p>\n
For instance, just this week, Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator was found to be placing bets on words used in the president’s speeches – words that he, obviously, knew where going to be said. The teleprompter made some $100,000 in profit, though he has now been suspended.<\/p>\n
Then, the sight of Infantino trying, and failing, to politely drag Trump away from the trophy presentation to winners Spain was, quite frankly, pathetic and undignified. But again, did we expect any better from two individuals who made it a point to insult the dignity of football?<\/p>\n
It’s a sad state of affairs that the centrepiece of world football was dominated by politics – but perhaps not something which can come as much of a surprise.<\/p>\n