Football Daily likes to cast a light, satirical touch, though maybe satire aims a little high. Jonathan Swift is resting easy enough but there is sound reasoning behind us calling the upcoming tournament the Geopolitics World Cup. It might be two sleeps until the actual football kicks off but the geopolitics are well and truly shining bright.
As it stands, Iran will compete, though under specific visa conditions: when playing their group games in Los Angeles and Seattle, players must enter and leave USA USA USA soil the same day while team support staff have been denied entry altogether. A reminder, from 2017, when the GWC was first awarded to the USA USA USA, Canada and Mexico, Fifa chief suit Gianni Infantino said this: “It’s obvious when it comes to Fifa competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup.” On Tuesday, Iranian fans have – according to their nation’s football association – had their ticket allocations pulled, leaving plans in ruins on the eve of the tournament.
It is not just teams, staff and fans that are being restricted. Omar Artan, one of Africa’s top referees and poised to be the first ever Somalian referee at the World Cup, has been denied access to the USA USA USA and now will not work at the tournament. Fifa continued their flat-batting with the following explanation: “Fifa is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications … in line with previous Fifa events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.” Somalia is one of those many countries with a travel ban imposed on its citizens by Donald Trump’s administration and Artan was denied entry to the US at Miami airport, having travelled on a visa previously thought valid. Why Fifa has chosen not to reallocate Artan to matches in Canada and Mexico is unclear.
There’s more. Of course there’s more. Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was held and questioned for nearly seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, while the team’s photographer was barred from entering following phone checks. Members of the Senegal national team were forced to undergo detailed bag inspections on the airport tarmac immediately after landing in San Antonio, Texas. Elsewhere, Uzbekistan’s squad were searched by drug-sniffing dogs at their training camp in New York.
There is a clear pattern here. Does this represent football? Does this even represent USA USA USA? That Trump, the figurehead of this approach to Asian and African nations, was booed on Monday night at Madison Square Garden while apparently dozing through the NBA finals suggests otherwise.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It was absolute madness in Baghdad, where it was early in the morning. The whole nation has been craving something to celebrate and this gives people a huge boost of energy and hope. You can really feel the sense of pride; there’s a genuine feelgood factor” – Iraq’s No 2, René Meulensteen, on his recipe for a World Cup shock, plus his time assisting Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
René Meulensteen at home in Cheshire before the GWC. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
double quotation markHappy retirement to Divock Origi (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition). Thirty-one is no age for a player to hang up their boots but there’s a lot to admire about going out on your own terms. One of football’s great unsolved mysteries remains whether his name fits better to La Cucaracha, or Gene Vincent’s Be-Bop-a-Lula. I guess we’ll never truly know now?” – Ed Taylor.
double quotation markI was surprised to read that Divock Origi has just retired. As a Nottingham Forest fan (where he was on loan in 2023-24), I was fairly certain that he retired at the beginning of that season” – Brendan Mackinney.
double quotation markLast Thursday’s Memory Lane (full email edition), with its excellent picture of Alan Shearer, brought back memories of England’s best tournament of my adult life – two excellent and one good performance out of four games, a better ratio than 1986 (just), 2018 or 1990. However, let’s not forget it wasn’t only David Beckham and the shootout who ‘did their thing’; Sol Campbell’s late header was chalked off due to Shearer himself pointlessly scragging Carlos Roa, and I’ve always been surprised how much he avoided criticism for it” – Nick Reed.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day is … Ed Taylor. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.