IT was supposed to be the best World Cup ever. Well, maybe it still is. One thing is for sure-the 2026 FIFA World Cup will go down as also one of the most controversial.
I have not seen a pair of countries quickly become the villains of the tournament.
Yes, there were questionable and controversial calls already, but the moment Donald Trump interfered and called up FIFA President Gianni Infantino to look into reversing the red card assessed to US star Faloran Balogun that cleared the way to his taking part of the US-Belgium knockout match, the event became one bloody mess.
The rest of the world sided with Belgium and if Trump had not already made the US a pariah of sorts, this interference in the World Cup certainly did.
And as much as I wanted the US to advance, it was just right that Belgium ousted them convincingly, 4-1.
That is where it got more interesting as calls for Argentina and England turned the tide for those two squads. However, none more so than Argentina who I deemed to be lucky in the group stages.
Let me clarify that. They were good but not sharp. Luckily for the Albiceleste, they faced competition that they should beat even with their eyes closed.
The knockout stages saw Argentina kick up its level of play especially in the final 10 minutes of the match. But the calls went their way against Algeria, Egypt and Spain. It was deemed that FIFA was favoring Argentina to give Lionel Messi a proper send off as the sport’s Greatest of All Time and because the ratings and ticket sales were tops when they took to the pitch.
However, Spain, like Belgium before them, saw the world rooting for them while jeering Argentina (and FIFA). And the way La Furia Roja won and dispatched Argentina with surgical precision, the latter were served a stinging lesson playing football the right way, with no help from FIFA or the game officials, and teamwork.
Incredibly, Argentina’s shocking heel turn did not end there. There was a fight post-match and during the trophy ceremony, they turned their back to the victorious Spanish side. That was the first time we have seen that in a match of this gigantic proportions and really tarnished Argentina’s image.
Man, all the more they were castigated and pilloried on television, online, social media and traditional media as a disgrace to the sport and their country.
Talk about a fall from grace! Not only did Argentina lose in its title defense, but its reputation is shot. And you have to go all the way back to Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ to know they have benefitted from egregious calls.
Argentina isn’t alone here. FIFA should be basking in the success of the World Cup, but it has done nothing to overhaul the perceived corruption at the top.
Norway filed a complaint to FIFA’s Ethics Committee about Trump’s interference. The meeting will be held on August 6. There are the matters of the supposedly biased calls and even Argentina flashing political statements post-semifinals match against England. How devastating were Egypt’s accusations that the match was rigged for Messi and company to win it all.
I saw this comment online post-finals: ‘No World Cup. No Malvinas. No class.’
Ouch.
Messi might be retiring from international football, but the rest of his teammates will still be there. It will be up to them to find their redemption on and off the pitch.
And that brings me to the song ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ that was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice for the 1976 musical ‘Evita’ that is about the former Argentine First Lady Eva ‘Evita’ Peron.
The song was supposedly crafted in a way that had a double meaning-it was a confession about Evita’s rapid rise to power from humble beginnings that is ‘disguised as a triumph.’
Except this time, maybe they should really cry because a distasteful, painful and embarrassing defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.