LONDON — Soccer — or football, to most of the global billions watching the World Cup this month — is not human society itself, with all its thorny issues. But at times, the game is a reflection of the entire planet — of nations, their disputes, their aspirations and those of a multitude of minority communities.
In early November, just weeks before the most heavily scrutinized World Cup in the tournament’s history kicked off in Qatar, top FIFA officials sent a letter urging teams to “let football take center stage.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino followed this up on the eve of the opening match with a one-hour diatribe against all who had criticized the host nation’s human rights record, the conditions that led to thousands of migrant workers dying building the nation’s glittering new stadiums and its stance on LGBTQ issues.
Fans from around the world have a different idea of what that “center stage” should show. Many, but not all, Iranians attending matches in Qatar have wanted to express their support for protesters at home. And they’ve wanted the team to do the same.
Other political issues have been erupting fast and furious on a near-daily basis. And outside the World Cup bubble, the world itself has kept turning in some of its most fractious events, both unsurprising and surprising: Russia’s war in Ukraine, mass shootings in the United States and the sudden eruption of protests in China.
