Mussolini Hosted The World Cup In 1934; Argentina's Murderous Generals In 1978; And Here We Are In 2026
By 1934, it was entirely evident what Benito Mussolini was up to. Italy’s dictator had already consolidated power, colonized Libya and annexed the city of Rijeka. He nevertheless got to stage the second-ever World Cup, managing it with a heavy hand and even supplanting the Jules Rimet trophy with a far larger one. Hosting and winning that World Cup didn’t sate his expansionist appetites. By the end of the decade, Mussolini would take Ethiopia, annex Albania and back Francisco Franco in the Spanish civil war.
It was equally well established in 1978 in Argentina that General Jorge Rafaél Videla’s military junta, which had taken over two years earlier, was maintaining its grip on power through systematic detention, torture and murder. Still, protestations from other nations were ignored and the World Cup kicked off. “At last, the world can see the true face of Argentina,” said Fifa president João Havelange at the opening ceremony, newly decorated with a medal from Videla. Argentina spared no expense in putting on its World Cup, even though the total cost was a state secret. But the right-wing government also didn’t bother to slow the pace at which it disappeared political dissidents and opponents. Germany captain Berti Vogts proclaimed that “Argentina is a country where order reigns. I haven’t seen a single political prisoner,” though, so no matter.
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The US-dominated World Cup fits neatly into this run. This nation isn’t presently in a position to lecture anybody else on human rights – nor has it ever been. The Qataris and Saudis are sportswashing outliers no longer. This is just what the World Cup is now: a convenient vehicle for carrying the aims of dangerously self-interested people. Perhaps some kind of boycott movement from fans toward Fifa events will gather steam, although the slow slide of acceptance to where we are suggests otherwise. One didn’t come off before Qatar, either, in spite of a lot of noise. It’s doubtful such a boycott would accomplish much by way of embarrassing the men, and the odd woman, who have killed off the parts of themselves that once felt shame anyway.
Soccer has fully gone the way of the Olympics and Formula One, which long ago made their peace with whatever sordid baggage came attached to the highest bidder for their events. And when the story is told of how the World Cup fully and finally lost its way, they will point to the 2026 edition, played in Canada and Mexico and – problematically, embarrassingly, irredeemably – these United States.
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https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jan/08/usa-world-cup-2026-venezuela
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