FIFA and the Goblet of Fire

Everyone is watching it. The world is gripped by it. Soccer. Who will win the World Cup?

Sports should be a great way for the world to unite, if not food. But how can we possibly unify over something that should be wholesome when it is rife with corruption? How do I explain to my child that the rules are meant only for poor countries or those without influence and deep, seedy pockets? This game of soccer is just as corrupt as governments. There is no difference. A sheister is a sheister.

Case in point. The United States is doing fairly well this time around. We have gotten further than we normally do. That’s great, but what our president did yesterday was just pour vinegar into our milk.

President Trump used his influence and power to pressure the FIFA bureaucracy into withdrawing the mandatory red-card restrictions on one of our players, even though the referees on the field deemed it warranted. What kind of garbage is that?

Look, I am an American, but I cannot condone, or even stand, what he just did. I know it’s not the first time it has happened, but it is a disgusting display of privilege and superiority by a little man who has no apparent faith in the rest of the team to win without the player who committed the punishable infraction.

Countries like Argentina with Otamendi, Ecuador with Caicedo, and Portugal with Ronaldo have all strong-armed FIFA into rescinding player bans for red-card infractions in this World Cup. This corrupt behavior is not new and dates back to Brazil in 1962, with Garrincha.

FIFA has a long history of corruption. There are documentaries about it. Money changing hands, locations for World Cups being bought by nations, and the laundering of money as the big players all get rich off the sport's fans are certainly not new. But why are we, the fans, allowing it to continue?

Is no one angry about it? I know I am.

What about the poorer countries, the ones that don’t have the financial muscle to enrich FIFA and offer quid pro quo in return for favorable treatment?

This is a disgrace. Soccer has become like a government of extreme corrupt fat cats, pushing and pulling power among their cronies.

How do these thugs and mafia get to maneuver to make giants and serfs in a world sport that is supposed to be equal and fair, blind to the wealth of a nation? Why do poorer nations get shafted because they don’t have an arrogant president or prime minister to make a call and promise god knows what to these FIFA gangsters? I can’t possibly be the only one who has a problem with it, and I am sure the countries that don’t get preferential treatment by the mob kings in FIFA have an issue with it. Poorer nations have no voice, no power.

FIFA, what does rescission of a red card cost? I want to know. How much does winning the actual cup cost? Is there a set price for that? What is the tiered pricing range for hosting a World Cup, given the corruption we have seen in the host selection process in past years?

Soccer fans, I am sick to my stomach about this disregard for fair play. Soccer and all sports are supposed to be wholesome and to develop players worthy of honor, not to become a showcase for players’ and countries’ wealth and a willingness to push the sport, players, and teams for a price into the winner’s circle.

Young men who have worked their whole lives to become the elite in their chosen sport should hang it up now because the only way they are on an even playing field is with large wallets.

Soccer should be a place where men can showcase their talents. They should excel because of skill, talent, and merit. Players should face the consequences of their unsportsmanlike actions, no matter who they are or who they play for.

FIFA, you are corrupt and a pay-for-service organization. No one should admire you. You have no integrity. Shame on you.

President Trump, or any other highbrow who has ever greased FIFA’s palm for preferential treatment, shame on you all. You are a disgrace. You are unworthy of your post or of humanity's admiration. You are not examples of honor for children.

Players who receive red cards face the consequences. Show the world, especially kids, that there is no excuse for brutality on the playing field. Be role models, for Pete’s sake. What the heck are you showing kids? That when you screw up, you are not responsible? This is why we have generations of kids without any regard or respect for rules. This is one reason they don’t take responsibility or hold themselves accountable for their actions.

Be men for crying out loud, and stop acting like children. Take your lumps, and be adults.

Shame on the lot of you. You dishonor yourselves. You dishonor us all.

(Published by Activated Thinker on Medium, July 2026)

#soccer #FIFAWorldCup #Corruption #integrity #FIFA

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