World Cup's Political Controversies Spark Debate Among MEPs

The World Cup is on, one the biggest events of the year. It will unite the world, create a vibe of friendship and festivity and leave politics outside.

Really? Two members of the European Parliament are talking about this in the latest edition of The Ring, Rasmus Andresen from Germany (Greens) and Lukas Mandl from Austria (European People's Party).

As of this week, the FIFA Football World Cup will capture the attention of millions of people around the globe. But headlines will not only dominate the sport pages – rarely has the politics of football fueled controversial debates in the run-up of the traditional tournament like this year.

It starts with the rationale behind giving the event - for the first time - to three host countries (Canada, Mexico, United States) covering half a continent and having 48 teams and more than 1,200 players participate.

It goes on with exploding ticket prices, fan boycotts, security, Iran, Congo, Trump, racism – the list is long.

Has the world’s most popular sport finally reached the upper echelons of global politics? Is football no longer “just a sport”? And what does the future of the World Cup look like?

Or is football first and foremost a private event that brings joy and entertainment to people's lives?

For Lukas Mandl, the World Cup is an event worth celebrating, regardless of all the issues and problems.

"For these few weeks, football makes the world a family. To make it political or posh will not help."

With that, Mandl is in line with the organisers.

"In our divided world, we need occasions to unite, and the upcoming FIFA World Cup will be a great celebration of togetherness", FIFA president Gianni Infantino told a UEFA congress in Brussels earlier this year.

"For all the billions of people around (...) our responsibility is to give them competitions, 90 minutes of a match, plus additional time, where they can forget their issues, their problems they have at home, they have in work, they have in their countries."

But more than maybe ever before, the World Cup has been fraught with political controversies from unaffordable tickets to immigration issues to accusations of racism.

But it's especially ticket prices that have left many fans think twice about travelling to North America for the event.

“Football must not become a playground for investors and pricing algorithms. When supporters are priced out of stadiums and clubs become assets in global ownership networks, we risk losing the very social and community value that makes sport special," said Rasmus Andresen.

"Europe can no longer afford to stand by. We need robust rules on ownership, transparency, and ticket pricing to put fans back at the heart of the game and protect football as a public good, not just a profit-making business.”

The next few weeks will determine, whether the World Cup can continue its former glory.

The Ring is hosted by Stefan Grobe, produced by Luis Albertos Altarejos and Amaia Echevarria, and edited by Vassilis Glynos.

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