Rahul Balasundaram

தமிழ் | migration, displacement, climate justice, humanitarian affairs & sustainable development 🌏 | fútbol is life ⚽️ #COYS | views obviously my own

[Rahul Balasundaram @rahulbala_]

I spoke with @leylahamed for this piece for @shado_mag on the hypocrisy, repression and resistance in football amidst the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Despite being told otherwise, Leyla says that "Football isn’t apolitical. It’s just selectively political."

https://t.co/1mmc5Gdd9K

[abby @lowkeyabby]

cristiano ronaldo admitted that he raped a woman and is getting cheered for at the world cup while connor mcgregor was on jimmy fallon after he raped a woman so violently she needed to get her tampon surgically removed. and people will still say rape allegations ruin men’s lives

[Ayesha A. Siddiqi @AyeshaASiddiqi]

they die. thousands of them. and more are dying every year. growing heat risk is increasing excess deaths. this is what the climate scientists were warning about for twenty years. we had two whole decades to intervene. instead Americans especially doubled down.

[George Galloway @georgegalloway]

Yoga. The best thing after a hard day’s murdering.

[Tim Hirschel-Burns @TimH_B]

The Norwegian Viking Row is objectively cool.

But this type of mass, coordinated fan activity depends on having lots of fans who could get visas and afford exorbitant tickets.

Countries like Senegal have fan culture that’s just as good. But we don’t get to see it

[Rahul Balasundaram @rahulbala_]

5 goals in two matches and he's about to turn 39. what a privilege to watch Messi at this tournament. 🐐

[Leyla Hamed @leylahamed]

It’s impossible to watch Iran play and not feel ashamed of what the US and FIFA have put this squad through.

[Rahul Balasundaram @rahulbala_]

@mcarv_s you should check out gongfu bao as well 🫡

[Rahul Balasundaram @rahulbala_]

@Ankaman616 I think it's his mother who's Tunisian, no?

[Nur Dogan @nurdogandiyorki]

That’s the reality!
#FIFA

[Rahul Balasundaram @rahulbala_]

"israel in five" does this refer to the number of five-year-old children you guys kill every day?

[Israel ישראל @Israel]

Your bagels are Jewish
And they are delicious
But don't forget about hummus by the seaside
Israel in five

[Leyla Hamed @leylahamed]

Palestine may not have made it to the World Cup, but Bosnia and Herzegovina fans are making sure it is always present, whether in Canada, the U.S. or football stadiums everywhere.

[Rahul Balasundaram @rahulbala_]

football is so beautiful. it's a shame the capitalists and politicians keep ruining it.

[Kaustubh Pandey @Kaus_Pandey17]

You see stuff like this and realise why no other sport comes close. Football is so closely tied to national identities, the nation's culture and it has played a role in the upliftment of nations. Nothing replicates it.

[Bosnian Football @BosniaNTBall]

🎶Palestina!🎶 we can’t forget our brothers in tough times!🇵🇸 #FIFAWorldCup #CANBIH 🇨🇦🇧🇦 https://t.co/U8evcVqA0g

[Alex Cosh @AlexCosh_]

BREAKING: Toronto activists have covered the city’s FIFA sign with a message of their own: “Kick Israel out of FIFA.”

[Rahul Balasundaram @rahulbala_]

no public watch parties for the world cup in Ottawa? a big screen in byward would heal this city... how are you guys squandering this generational opportunity to bring communities together @ottawacity @_MarkSutcliffe

[☘️Seán Caomhánach ☘️ @kavs86]

this is what the Israel supporters were marching in support of in Toronto over the weekend. #cdnpoli #nlpoli

[safia aidid @safiyaaaay]

I don't think most people are fully grasping what happened to Omar Artan. Citizens of African countries cannot travel to the US without first navigating a highly restrictive, discriminatory visa process. Africans face the highest refusal rates globally, not only for US visas +

[Antifa_Ultras @ultras_antifaa]

What has happened at the #2026WorldCup over the last 48 hours:

• Swiss footballer Embolo's visa was put under review and he was only able to join his team days later.

• Iraqi national team player Aymen Hussein was held for questioning for nearly 7 hours upon entering the United States.

• The Iranian national team spent days dealing with visa procedures at the U.S. Consulate in Türkiye. The U.S. only allowed them entry on match days. Fifteen members of the delegation were denied visas.

• Omar Abdulkadir Artan, named CAF's Best African Referee of 2025, was denied a visa. Despite travelling to the U.S. with a diplomatic passport, he was refused entry and sent back. FIFA announced that he will not be able to officiate at the tournament.

• The South African national team arrived in the United States much later than planned because part of the delegation was not granted visas.

• Members of the Senegal national team staff were forced to remove their shoes and subjected to lengthy searches, sparking accusations of racism.

• The Uzbekistan national team was searched with bomb-sniffing dogs and the footage went viral in international media.

• Some Scottish supporters, despite being eligible to enter the U.S. visa-free under the ESTA programme, had their travel authorisations revoked just days before departure.

• Many supporters who had already bought tickets and booked accommodation had their visa applications rejected, resulting in financial losses.

[Rahul Balasundaram @rahulbala_]

All of this is so disgusting. They're not even trying to "sportswash" their racism because they never face any consequences. The US should be kicked out of FIFA and Infantino needs to be fired immediately.

[Nima Tavallaey Roodsari @NimaTavRood]

So far at the 2026 FIFA Epstein Cup before a ball kicked:
- Senegal & Uzbekistan squads treated like criminals upon arrival given full cavity searches;
- Africa’s best referee sent back to Somalia despite having a diplomatic passport;
- Iraq team photographer sent back despite valid visa;
- AIPS (international sport journalist association) calling on FIFA to sort out unacceptable visa issues of African & Iranian journalists;
- 90% of Moroccan fans with tickets denied entry
- 14 members of Iran backroom staff denied visas

Not a word from Gianni ”today I feel black/gay/disabled etc” Infantino.

[Rahul Balasundaram @rahulbala_]

they should have never been given hosting rights, with or without Trump. absolute sham of a tournament.

[T 🇫🇷 @Talhaa10_]

giving the world cup to the usa was a stupid decision.

this tournament was supposed to bring the world together. instead we’re talking about shootings, visa issues, travel restrictions and whether fans from certain countries will even be able to attend