There was never a chance that a Washington man at FIFA, the world soccer governing body, would do the right thing and postpone the World Cup. Nor that he would deprive the United States and Canada of the right to host after their attack on Iran. The president of FIFA, the Lebanese-Swiss Gianni Infantino, is doing what is right for his game, his ‘shareholders’, and the acceptable sports media will help more people than ever before.
Sports media, no fur coat and no underwear
The word “boyfriends/girls with laptops” is linked to our former Capital Sports guest, Irish journalist Paul Kimmage. The former cyclist ‘spat in the soup’ of the sport he loved by exposing doping in ‘Rough Ride’, by far the best sports book ever written. His goal: the media to pass wearing, a goodie bag a group of people hungry for unusual balls to attract celebrities who report, that no crime or offense can be mentioned.
The bottom line is that many of these people, who are in every media sports department in every country, were the last kids to be picked for the team at school. Without sporting ability (they believed), they live a sporting life following their heroes and quietly go down on their knees when Cristiano Ronaldo, Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, or Maria Sharapova, give a smile.
Some have found high positions in media management at FIFA, from where they hand out purses (accessory and nice purses) to those who wish to be favored. And the media organizations, to ensure that their journalists and analysts are given permission to report on the World Cup, will ‘play ball’. What FIFA wants, FIFA gets, and the media will happily part with it.
Sell to avoid missing out
It has been interesting to witness my colleagues bragging about covering this upcoming ‘show’. From LinkedIn to Instagram, many decent people are making sure everyone knows they’re going to the World Cup and their previous posts criticizing US or Israeli military action, or indeed FIFA, have been edited or removed.
I asked a woman, who will work with a European broadcaster, where was her beautiful removal of the FIFA Peace award to the President of the United States, Donald Trump? It had gotten hundreds of likes and comments on LinkedIn, yet, it was gone.
“My agent,” he responded, with a smiley face emoji, explaining that they were warned that any social media posts critical of the US government or the United States could mean denying border control.
I think I was lucky that I refused the chance to work in that event, although my decision was formed before the attacks on Iran. I couldn’t moralize Men in Black in my brain and scrub social media, articles, ads and purity of spirit.
One football writer I expected to take a stand was Alexander Abnos, the senior sports editor at The Guardian in the US. With the protests against ICE in his country as a basis, he wrote that the United States “not suitable for the stage of a football exhibition event.” He signed with “it would be hard to argue if the World Cup is moved from the United States entirely.“
Here was someone with backbone, courage, someone I could relate to. OK, the headline was as weak as English tea (Removing the United States as the host of the World Cup would be very sad – and quite right) And then, he turned into a complete fanboy!
– Messi, mascots, tickets and Trump: 48 questions for the 48-team World Cup (April 1)
– Lionel Messi pulls out of Miami pre-World Cup game with possible injury (May 25)
– World Cup 2025: a visual guide to the stadiums in the three host nations (June 1)
And he outdid himself, also on June 1, with a lot of fanfare to show he was hitting the FIFA Kool Aids: “Gathered around the laptop, the USMNT is creating a memorable first moment on their World Cup journey.”
Alexander is not the worst, he is just an example of what was going on before the start of June 11 – and what is now in full swing. The media has already gone into overuse and superlatives for brand ambassadors for sports drinks and apparel. We are already encouraged to forget that the United States, with the connivance of Canada and the conflict of other countries participating in the event, is complicit in the ongoing slaughter of Iranians, Palestinians, Russians, Lebanese, and more. Football right now, and brainstorming has already started.
Straw men (and women) by straw lot
In the past two weeks, I have spoken to 19 of my fellow sports journalists and analysts, asking if they had been to the World Cup. From 6 different countries, working with various media from TV to radio to newspapers, they happily participated.
Only three were not going, because they were covering it from home. Among others, everyone felt it “uncomfortable” or “I’m not happy at all” go, tell them that it was their job and that it is necessary “Pay the mortgage.”
I asked the 16 who were traveling if they did not agree with the ongoing World Cup. Fourteen felt it should be postponed, two said it should be removed from the United States and Canada, and given only to Mexico. Those two, I should add, are French. They all said they were worried about safety and that fans would be robbed.
A journalist from the BBC, said the only bonus is not the violence of English hooligans.
“As the old joke from 1994 goes, they will be defeated by small arms fire alone,” he joked. He was referring to the exclusion made when the England team failed to qualify the last time the World Cup was held in the United States.
Yet the likelihood of a terrorist attack at a major event (the World Cup or the Olympics), has never been higher, or more expected.
Bombs and bedlam
The last successful terrorist attack, pardon the pun, at a major event was at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. It was by an anti-abortion activist and resulted in one death. Atlanta will host seven games this summer, including the semifinals. Although intelligence agencies and police forces thwarted Osama Bin Laden’s reported plot at the 1998 World Cup in France, and Russia’s FSB thwarted several drone attacks in 2018, everyone was arrested on July 18 of that year.
In the biggest stage of all, the Final between France and Croatia, with hundreds of millions of people watching and listening around the world, a tag team of attention seekers dressed as police officers came onto the field. In my opinion, causing Croatia to falter and lose their image.
From my vantage point at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, I saw people in uniform running across the field and thought, they shouldn’t be here, something is wrong. A wave of panic hit the media area and a prominent British pundit took off his headset and stood to leave. It left a bitter taste in the mouths of those who were there to cover the game.
Later, I wasn’t alone in my outrage when NPR’s Scott Simon pointed out the dangerous example “an act of bravery.” I hope he will be happy if the same idiots or terrorists make a cat copy “act” this summer.
Entering the final game
It is highly likely that there will be at least 3-5 such incidents, although they may be more dangerous. Those players who entered the pitch illegally in Moscow in 2018 may have cost Croatia the title, but in this World Cup, lives can be lost.
Center for Strategic and International Studies he gave their usual series of threats to the World Cup in the AI slope, which one FIFA insider told me is “what we all know… and provides zero insight.” FIFA is very concerned about security, so much so that they invested almost 650 million dollars to improve security in host cities. In Russia and Qatar, this was not required. The United States and its subordinates in the north are actively involved in the wars in Palestine, Lebanon and Iran. Many people are ready to make a statement, FIFA knows this.
“This is the most dangerous World Cup ever,” a FIFA person told me on May 29. “Here in the (marketing) department, it’s the first time in my experience that employees refuse the opportunity to go.” He has been with FIFA since 2004.
The sentiment is echoed in WhatsApp fan group chats, with many worried about their safety.
In the Eintracht Frankfurt ‘Nationalmannschaft’ (German National Team) group with over 1,000 supporters, debate has raged about the wisdom of following their side in North America. One man, from Wiesbaden, insisted that the danger is not Germany’s matches in Houston, Texas and East Rutherford, New Jersey, but the one between Cote d’Ivoire in Toronto. “It’s the soft underbelly and the most dangerous. It can be bombs and a bed,” he noted.
However, for the sports media, the true fear of the fans is hidden. British sports media is not happening. In the past they lied and mocked Qatar, Russia, Brazil and South Africa. For the BBC in 2022, the biggest risk to ‘fans’ was not being able to drink beer in Qatar. In Russia, it was killing for passport control or disappearing in the gulag. It’s cricket for this World Cup.
Flash is already dead, and most of the gaming press seems happy to forget what came before. The biggest sporting event of all time starts on June 11 and all we can hope for is no terrorist attacks, and good football. I’m half ready.
The statements, opinions and views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
