Page 11 - The Plain Truth Spring-Summer 2026

A VIEW FROM THE HIGH STREET

Gethin Russell-Jones

t’s World Cup year, and I’m drama. There is the
feeling underwhelmed. Wales’s ‘Peace Prize’ Scandal,
Ifailure to qualify (once again) where FIFA President
has coated the event with a tart Gianni Infantino
aftertaste. Yes, it will be a festival of faced ethics
football – and I’m glad that England complaints after
and Scotland have made it – but awarding a newly Photo Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/ukinusa/54973734206
who can I support without feeling it created ‘FIFA Peace
in my sporting heart? And with the Prize’ to Donald
beautiful game almost constantly Trump in December
mired in sleaze and corruption, it’s 2025. Critics argue
hard to feel a wide-eyed joy at the this compromised
purity of sporting competition. FIFA’s neutrality. S FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw Reception December 6th, 2025.
I vividly recall my boyish There are also anxieties about I have to decouple the World Cup (and
excitement at watching the 1966 security and ICE’s (Immigration and the Olympics) from the corporate
World Cup in England, and the 1968 Customs Enforcement) presence: cultures. I need to be able to watch
Olympics in Mexico. But these events There are mounting concerns that and enjoy like a child, without feeling
are not ultimately about sporting stadiums and fan zones may be the biting cynicism that ensnares me.
greatness. They are epic contests monitored by immigration agents, I have to believe that these are
undergirded by shared international leading to fears of racial profiling and genuine sporting contests between
values: fairness, justice, respect ‘federal violence’ during a period of equals and not a casino where billions
and diversity. Sadly, they are now heightened immigration crackdowns. are being spent in sponsorship deals,
associated with dodgy business And then there are the travel TV rights and off-the-books payments.
practices and malign political arrangements required of humble The World Cup final will be held at
influences. fans, or those who can afford the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey – a
This year’s World Cup competition grossly inflated ticket prices. For location chosen for its scenic views
is taking place in the USA and Mexico. example, if your team is in Group of a nearby swamp and the New York
And there are many voices raising G, you might start your morning in skyline three miles away.
concerns. For example, safety in Mexico City, grab a taco, and then One thing is certain: the 2026
Mexican host cities has become a sprint to the airport to catch a flight World Cup will quite possibly be the
dominant headline, particularly in to Seattle for the 8:00 pm kick off. biggest, loudest, and most confusing
Guadalajara, where some matches By the time you clear customs event in human history. !
will be held. In addition to this, there for the third time in a week, you’ll
are fears that cartel violence will spill realize that the ‘North American’
into the games. experience is less about samba in the
Following the death of gang leader, streets and more about the existential
‘El Mencho’ during a federal operation dread of a three-hour layover in
in early 2026, violence has spiked Dallas-Fort Worth.
across the state of Jalisco. With 104 matches spread over 39
Recent surveys show that over 90% days, the group stage has evolved into
of Guadalajara residents feel unsafe. a marathon of participation. Thanks
Similar concerns persist in Zapopan to the new best third-place teams
(where another stadium is located), rule, a country could theoretically lose
where the perception of insecurity two games, draw one, and still find
jumped by 16 percentage points in just themselves in the Round of 32.
two months. It’s the first World Cup where the
primary strategy for some teams isn’t
Security and impartiality scoring goals, but rather not being
Away from Mexico, there are plenty of the worst. This will be a competition
people voicing their objections about within a competition, with most
the USA’s role in this iconic sporting teams chasing mediocrity. For me,

Find us online at www.plain-truth.org.uk Spring-Summer 2026 The Plain Truth 11