It has been an intense week at the Fifa World Cup, with plenty of on-field heartbreaks, last-gasp winners and endearing tales of survival. The canvas of top-flight football could not be more colourful. No wonder it is still the most-watched spectacle on Earth. Intriguing scripts have been playing off-field, too. But nothing matches the latest controversy threatening to overshadow the beautiful game. A red card given to Folarin Balogun, an influential US forward, during the co-hosts’ match against Bosnia and Herzegovina was set to rule him out of the last-16 tie against Belgium. However, the automatic one-game suspension was later lifted by football’s governing body after Trump reportedly called Fifa chief Gianni Infantino. It is unprecedented for a head of State to call up the chief of an international federation to intervene in a technical matter. It goes against Fifa’s own rule that World Cup suspensions cannot be appealed.
The red card itself drew attention when the referee needed extensive consultation with his video assistants before the send-off. But now, the talk has shifted from technicalities to politics. Infantino’s proximity to Trump was already under the scanner when Fifa launched a Peace Prize and awarded it to the US President on the day of the World Cup draw last year. Manipulation is rearing its ugly head again. Belgium have reacted sharply, as have star footballers and billions of fans. Fifa ought to know better than to pander to a government official.
On the field, it was the demise of the mighty Brazil that shook the world. The Canarinho were displaying indifferent form since the devastating 1-7 loss to Germany in 2014. Their tame exits in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups deepened the despondency. Now, there is a clear crisis of identity. The Seleção no longer includes players capable of the magic that once flowed from the boots of Pelé, Zico, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. These days, the style is more workmanlike than jogo bonito. Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappé’s refusal to shake the hands of Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill after an ill-tempered match highlighted the stakes for teams in the knockouts. Whatever happens in the matches between now and the final on July 19, Fifa will have a lot to answer for about the way in which they have disregarded their own rules and let the game become uglier.