There are moments when football betrays itself. When the game that captivates millions suddenly seems detached from the reality in which it takes place. The summer of 2025 is one such moment. In the United States \u2013 a country more politically torn than it has been in decades, responding to protests with Marines and enforcing immigration policy through fear \u2013 FIFA is celebrating a tournament of superlatives starting June 14: the first expanded FIFA Club World Cup with 32 teams. It runs through July 13. A show of records. A show for the markets. A show without morality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That it is the United States, of all countries, that was awarded this project seems like a calculated decision \u2013 big stadiums, TV revenue, sponsorship deals, political proximity. That the very same USA is currently deploying National Guard troops against its own people, obstructing journalists, and even ejecting senators from press conferences seems irrelevant to world football\u2019s governing body. \u201cWe believe in the unifying power of football \u2013 especially in difficult times,\u201d a FIFA spokesman said in response to inquiries. An empty phrase that barely conceals FIFA\u2019s true priority: money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the pitch: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Palmeiras, Al Ahly, Auckland City, Club Le\u00f3n \u2013 all traveling to claim the crown of world football. But not everyone is allowed. While players like Ayrton Costa of Boca Juniors were scratched due to visa issues, fear is growing among fans as well. Trump\u2019s new travel order includes exceptions for players, coaches, and staff \u2013 but not for fans. The U.S. State Department confirmed, when asked, that spectators are not among the exempt groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well-known football travel blogger Danny Navarro puts it bluntly: fans feel the uncertainty \u2013 they don\u2019t know if they will be allowed to enter, and if they do, whether they\u2019ll be stopped by ICE. That is not a climate for a global football celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When tear gas fills the streets, no match can truly begin<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Los Angeles, one of the host cities, protests continue \u2013 against Trump\u2019s deportation policies, against domestic military deployment, against the erosion of democratic principles. Yet while citizens outside confront mounted police, inside the grass is being trimmed, branding is being installed, and the anthem is being rehearsed. It is a contradiction that leaves even seasoned sports journalists speechless. \u201cYou cannot play the ball while the rule of law collapses next door,\u201d wrote a commentator from Brazil\u2019s Globo network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. Travel Association is also sounding the alarm. President Geoff Freeman warned: in Colombia, the wait time for a U.S. visa is currently up to 18 months. \u201cIf we don\u2019t act now, even the 2026 World Cup will already be out of reach for many fans.\u201d But instead of solutions, the Trump administration is sending signals of deterrence: \u201cIf they don\u2019t leave after the game is over, they\u2019ll have to speak with Secretary Noem,\u201d said Vice President JD Vance \u2013 a reference to deportation and control. Trust? Shattered. For weeks, the country has been debating the deployment of 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines in California. Federal Judge Charles R. Breyer declared the deployment unconstitutional \u2013 the appeals court reversed the decision in an emergency proceeding with no hearing. A legal scribble, as even conservative voices in California complained. In this climate of repression and arbitrariness, between rubber bullets and visa denials, the most global of all football festivals is now supposed to take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And FIFA? It plays on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe believe in neutrality,\u201d comes the message from Zurich. But neutrality in the face of a regime that deports critics and attacks journalists is not neutrality \u2013 it is silent complicity. While Europe debates whether matches should even be played in countries with questionable human rights records, FIFA relocates its flagship tournament to a country where democratic principles are currently being systematically undermined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These days, the ugliest side of modern football is on full display. Not on the pitch \u2013 there will still be magical moments, stunning combinations, goals to celebrate. But around it, there is a silence louder than any fan chant. Because when a tournament is used to distract from injustice, it is no longer a celebration of sport. It is PR \u2013 for an America in a state of emergency.<\/p>\n
Es gibt Momente, in denen sich der Fu\u00dfball selbst verr\u00e4t. In denen das Spiel, das Millionen begeistert, pl\u00f6tzlich entkoppelt scheint von der Wirklichkeit, in der es stattfindet. Der Sommer 2025 ist ein solcher Moment. In den Vereinigten Staaten, einem Land, das politisch zerrissen ist wie selten zuvor, das auf Proteste mit Marines reagiert und Migrationspolitik […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7,41,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-topstory","category-trump-s-world","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\n