Statement from Omar Artan is far more graceful and reserved than FIFA deserves. It is a stain on this tournament that one of Africa's top officials can be blocked from the biggest month of his career.
This is a hard article to read, but I hope you'll do so. I've spent some time reporting on widespread rape and other sexual violence of Palestinian male and female prisoners by Israeli authorities, and the article is now published. The assault victims were warned not to give speak of what they endured -- they were sometimes told they would be killed or raped if they gave interviews -- but they found the courage to do so. One man described being raped three times in a single day in Israeli prison, the third time after he tried to protest. A young woman said the guards would come in at the beginning of each shift and strip her naked and abuse her. Another reported that she was shown photos of herself being raped and warned they would be released unless she cooperated with Israeli intelligence. Even three children who had been detained told me they had been sexually abused. Look, whatever our position on the Middle East, we should be able to agree on being anti-rape. Sexual assaults were horrific when Israeli women were targeted on Oct. 7, and they're equally horrific when Israeli authorities use them against Palestinians day after day after day. We should be able to find common ground in opposing rape. Here's a gift link to the article: https://t.co/aMMHId49OO
Since yesterday’s fixture against Brighton, which took place during the Premier League’s No Room For Racism weekend, Kevin Danso has been, and continues to be, subject to significant and abhorrent racist abuse on social media.
There is no place for racism at Tottenham Hotspur. There is no place for racism in football.
Read our statement: https://t.co/yM079ath3P
I wonder how (some) New Jerseyans cheering on $150 prices for World Cup trains would respond to the same thing being inflicted upon them, announced after they booked travel and purchased tickets, if they traveled to foreign cities to see tourist attractions or sports events.
This has been weighing heavily on me, and I can’t stay quiet about it any longer.
I am 71 years old. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend five World Cups, starting in 1986. Those tournaments weren’t just events to me, they were life chapters. They were about connection, about culture, about standing shoulder to shoulder with people from every corner of the world, united by the game we love.
But what I’m seeing now breaks my heart.
The current dynamic pricing strategy for the upcoming World Cup feels completely detached from the very soul of football. Yes, this tournament is being played mostly in the United States, and yes, it’s a premium market. But football was never meant to be a luxury product reserved for the highest bidder. It belongs to the people. Always has. I looked back fondly at USA 94 and everything we did then to fill stadiums and bring the game to life for Americans who were just dipping their toes into the water of the beautiful game.
Right now, it feels like the average, passionate supporter, the ones who save for years, who travel across continents, who bring the color, the noise, the spirit, are being pushed out. Replaced by a model that prioritizes revenue over reality.
That’s a dangerous road because once you lose the authentic fan, you lose the essence of what makes the World Cup special.
I say this not just as a fan, but as someone who has spent a lifetime in and around the game. During my time at EA SPORTS, we stood shoulder to shoulder with FIFA when they needed it most. Our game kept millions of fans connected to football and to the World Cup when trust in the organization was at its lowest. We helped carry the flame.
Which is why this moment feels even more disappointing.
This may well be one of the last World Cups I have the chance to attend and I find myself wondering if the game I’ve loved all my life is slowly drifting away from people like me, and far more importantly, from the next generation who deserve to feel what I felt in 1986.
The World Cup should unite the world. Not divide it by price.
Football deserves better. And so do the fans. Come on @FIFAcom , sort this out… It’s not too late.