Suzanne Harrington: Fifa would let Genghis Khan host a World Cup

Donald Trump hates Ilhan Omar, the Somali-American politician who represents Minnesota, and he has publicly denigrated Somali people as 'crooks', 'garbage'. Picture: Michael Regan, Getty Images

It's the World Cup! 

I’ve put an exclamation mark there to try to generate excitement.

I’m not feeling it, and not because I don’t like football: I love it.

Usually, when the World Cup rolls around, our household fully geeks out, memorising the groups, calculating the time differences, watching as many matches as we can.

For a month, it takes over: Snacks and drinks and friends and shouting at the telly. It’s nail-biting joy.

Not this one. This time, it might as well be golf for all the joy we are feeling. It feels flat. It feels robbed. 

It feels like the most globally unifying, fun thing the world has left — football — has been hijacked by the baddies. It stinks.

And it’s all down to Fifa and the massive elephant of Western hypocrisy in the room.

When Qatar hosted the last one, instead of airing the opening ceremony, the BBC broadcast a programme about the appalling treatment of migrant workers who built the Qatari World Cup infrastructure, as well as the treatment of women and gay men in the tiny, ultra-rich country, which has no tradition of football. 

We were all up in arms about Qatari human rights. “It’s the most controversial World Cup in history, and a ball hasn’t even been kicked,” said Gary Lineker at the time.

Hold my overpriced beer, says the US in 2026.

This time, the so-called ‘host’ country is treating some football professionals like criminals based on their passports and cultural backgrounds.

Spoiler: It’s not the white ones. Donald Trump hates Ilhan Omar, the Somali-American politician who represents Minnesota, and he has publicly denigrated Somali people as “crooks”, “garbage”.

Africa’s top referee, Omar Artan, was denied entry — he’s Somalian. There were reports that players from Senegal and Uzbekistan were subjected to invasive searches. 

Senegal’s football federation (FSF) later said the checks were compliant with applicable airport security regulations. The Iranian team were initially expected to fly in and out of the US on the same day of their matches, although latest reports suggest they will be able to enter the US the day before games.

It’s Fifa who should be given the red card, for allowing this to happen, for its greed, for its fawning and toadying, for its shameless pandering.

Donald Trump is just another  despot in a long line of  despots who can trace their lineage back to Caligula. It is Fifa that has bought the world’s favourite sport into disrepute by allowing him anywhere near it.

Football is not Formula One, it’s not yachting, it’s not polo. It’s a democratic, all-inclusive sport that has been tarnished by corruption.

Fifa would let Genghis Khan host the World Cup if he were around today. It’d let Idi Amin co-host with Stalin, if the price were right. Saudi Arabia? Step this way. (At least you can expect Arab hospitality — just don’t be gay).

Fifa simpers to despots, selling the game to the highest bidder and doesn’t protect the very people it is meant to represent: Players, referees, teams.

The World Cup belongs to the world. This one leaves you with that same sickening feeling as when you kick your ball into the garden of the nastiest neighbour on the street, the one who’d sell his own children for cash. 

You know he’s going to keep hold of it, no matter how many times you ask: Please, Mr Fifa, can we have our football back?