WORLD CUP ETC - NEWS: The Sunday Column

Paul Schmidt-Troschke launches a new regular series with his Sunday column. 

Transcript

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Hello and welcome to World Cup etc. with me, Paul Schmitroschke. With the start of the FIFA World Cup edging closer every day, the attention on global football news and World Cup specific news is rising sharply, and rightfully so. Not only because people begin to feel the World Cup fever, this unique feeling made up by a mix of hope, excitement, and adrenaline, but also because the news itself is becoming more absurd even as I speak. There are almost too many examples to give here, whether it be Senegal parading the Africa Cup of Nations trophy at the Start de France. Despite being stripped of the title, Amnesty International warning in the last 24 hours that this tournament risks becoming quote unquote a stage for repression, or the basic fact that the main host country is at war with another participating nation just two months out from the tournament. Too much by any standards, but in this piece I'm going to focus on the US government's visa bond pilot program, laying out that citizens from the countries of Algeria, Senegal, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, and Tunisia who want to enter the US must provide a collateral for the length of their stay by holding US government bonds in the value of 15,000 US dollars. And since the most common reason for people to enter the country will be as fans following and supporting their team throughout the FIFA World Cup, this will significantly restrict the accessibility of the largest ever sports event in human history. Even more remarkably, the bond applies not only to fans but also to players, coaching and ancillary staff. Let's look at the case of the small island nation of Cape Verde, which made history by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time ever and is far from being a wealthy nation. Assuming a delegation of 50 people, the bond will amount to 750,000 US dollars total. But imagine if you are a supporter who has already planned his trip, bought flights, expensive match tickets, and booked hotel rooms and is now facing an additional fifteen thousand US dollars, which is incidentally more than half of the average yearly income in Kate Word. To say that this is prohibitive is an understatement. But why is the US government engaging in what some have referred to as extortion? Well, because it can. The signal to the world is clear. We are the most powerful country on the planet, so everybody needs to submit to our demands, no matter how arrogant, egregious, or discriminatory they might be. And what is FIFA doing? Reports suggest that the governing body is quote unquote lobbying the US government behind the scenes to make an exemption for players and team staff. However, so far unsuccessfully, and supporters would still lose out bigly. But this reaction just follows a long line of weak responses to every new restriction the US government has introduced, from the initial announcement of the travel ban on twelve countries back in June 2025 to the visa ban on 75 countries in last December, now culminating in the Visa Bond Pilot Program, which also suggests that this pilot program might be expanded as well. Comments made by FIFA spokespersons never substantively criticized the World Cup host's actions, but merely reaffirmed the organization's values of inclusivity. And still, FIFA President Johnny Infantino continues to insist that this will be quote unquote the biggest, best, and most inclusive FIFA World Cup ever. Make of that what you will. So that's it from us for today. Don't forget to follow us and rate the show on all platforms to stay updated. That goes a long way for us. Thank you so much for listening and goodbye.