There is nothing that brings the world together like the FIFA World Cup. For one month, people from all walks of life, no matter their race, class, or language, turn their attention to this tournament. This summer, the United States will host a handful of World Cup matches. Yet, has there ever been a worse time for the United States to be put under a global spotlight? The current American government reflects none of the unity that this tournament is supposed to bring. Trump’s policies have brought chaos, division, and hatred, both at home and especially towards foreigners. At a tournament that is supposed to unite the world, this is a recipe for disaster, and Trump’s policies will prevent the United States from hosting a successful tournament.
One of the defining characteristics of Trump’s America has been the ramp-up in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity across the nation. ICE has already confirmed that they will have a presence at the World Cup, and this has scared off some fans, for good reason. This is an organization that has killed US Citizens, detained both citizens and foreign visitors, and has used racial profiling as grounds for immigration stops. If I were a foreign visitor, especially from a Latin American country, I don’t know if I would feel comfortable coming to the United States with how ICE has acted. ICE is an incompetent, hateful, violent and xenophobic organization that has no place at the World Cup. If it continues to act in the way that it has, maybe deporting a foreign tourist with a valid visa, or giving a player significant trouble getting into the country, all it will do is ensure the failure of this World Cup and the degradation of what it stands for.
Some fans don’t even have the opportunity to attend this World Cup. Fans from Haiti, Iran, Senegal, and the Ivory Coast are completely unable to attend due to Trump’s travel bans. Trump’s anti-foreigner policies have also caused a backlog for fans wanting a visa to travel to the US, with fans from some countries having to wait up to a year. One of the key characteristics of the World Cup is how it brings fans from all over the world together to one place for soccer. The World Cup is the perfect opportunity for the United States to show this unity. The modern United States looks the way it looks today because of people coming together from all over the world to this land, and there’d be nothing more American than to do that for the World Cup. However, Trump will instead use the tournament to showcase the un-American xenophobia and division his administration has brought, and it will be reflected in the absence of some foreign fans.
Fans may not be the only ones who could miss this World Cup. After the United States and Israel’s operation in Iran, Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donayamali, stated that it’s “not possible” for Iran to participate in the World Cup, citing the “corrupt regime” of the United States. The World Cup has been played in plenty of countries, led by different forms of governments, and yet, a team has never withdrawn from the World Cup due to political reasons. Donald Trump’s government would be the first ever to cause this, and with this administration’s lack of respect for international law and order, it would unfortunately not be surprising. Trump’s foreign policy of hostility towards nations ranging from Canada to Greenland to Nigeria has led the US to have few friends and many enemies among nations. With his rash and illegal strikes in Venezuela and Iran, it was only a matter of time before Trump’s disastrous foreign policy would come back to hurt the World Cup, and Iran’s withdrawal would only further prove how much Trump has divided the world.
If you’re choosing to go across the world to the World Cup in the current political climate the US is in, you’d at least want assurance that you’re safe. Unfortunately, this administration can’t even do that right. $625 million in federal dollars (for security) was promised to host cities, yet this has been politicized. The Department of Homeland Security is refusing to release the money until Democrats agree to fund ICE. Safety is not something to be gambled with, especially with this many visitors. However, this administration tends to politicize every basic function of government and weaponize it to pressure anyone who opposes its agenda to get out of the way. This weaponization of government services is not right; it’s political malpractice. Ensuring the safety of fans is one of the most basic and important things the government needs to do for this tournament, but instead, Trump will choose to jeopardize safety to push his agenda.
The thing is that much of this is preventable. FIFA could have stepped in and told Trump to maybe back off on some of the things that would hinder the tournament. Instead, FIFA President Gianni Infantino decided to do everything in his power to cater to Trump’s ego. During the World Cup draw, Infantino decided to award Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, highlighting the slogan Football Unites the World when giving the award. Yet how has Trump done anything to help unite the world or promote peace? The administration’s hostility toward foreigners has led to the separation of families and a lack of safety for visitors, and Trump’s war-mongering has further divided the world. Trump doesn’t spread peace and unity. He spreads hatred and hostility, and unfortunately, the latter is what this World Cup will likely be defined by.
