The World Cup wasn’t short of controversy… what lessons need to be learnt ahead of 2030? 🤔

dantowen819512mo ago

There cannot be such collusion between the head of fifa and the president of the host nation - it just makes FIFA look so weak

aaditya.krishnamurthy2mo ago

On field I’ll go with the Balogun red and Messi not getting one for a similar challenge - partly for being blatant no calls and partly for the narratives it helped generate Off-field? Is there an option to say everything Trump got involved with?

will.butcher2mo ago

4/5 of those are disasters and if in any other tournament, a single one would be a talking point (excuse the pun) for months and years to come. Worst World Cup so far

pranav.shahaney2mo ago

Iran’s treatment was extremely horrific. The World Cup is meant to unite the world, but this was clear discrimination against them. Having to leave the country right after their game without any downtime definitely impacted their preparations for games

lee.connor2mo ago

I thought the actual football was good, a good tournament in my view, I enjoyed it anyway. But Infantino needs ridding from the game completely and whenever I see Trump I just want to gouge my own eyes out. He summed himself up when handing the trophy over, utter clown he is.

dale.odonnell2mo ago

I think the Balogun case is the worst. It was the first time at the tournament that Trump properly stuck his beak in and that left a bad taste in my mouth. It was inevitable given how Infantino had already proudly positioned himself as Trump’s FIFA puppet.

freddie2mo ago

1. NEVER give it to USA again. 2. Need CLEAR rules on what is a foul etc and CONSISTENCY. 3. Sack Infantino

dancoombs2mo ago

I actually think the hydration breaks were the biggest scandal. Changed the game without any consultation

lrandall12102mo ago

Needs to be a rule enforced that political members aren’t allowed any footballing contact with FIFA during the tournament

james.brooke2mo ago

They’ll learn nothing because they don’t want to, expect more of the same with a few new controversies chucked in next time

george.patten2mo ago

Ballogun is by far the worst. Anything Trump-related really… Don’t think the refereeing calls were as bad as some made out. The Paraguay red card (and the ref’s delivery) was a highlight for me

jameslloyd14.jl2mo ago

The ticket prices were just completely ridiculous.

shamanth.jayaram2mo ago

Balogun’s red card situation was a scandal. Even aside from that, Trump being involved in any way was awful to see. Terrible World Cup.

billy.meyers2mo ago

The Trump/Balogun situation was obviously grim and sets a worrying precedent Having said that I’m still absolutely shocked by the Ghana penalty situation. Even as an England fan that just felt like blatant cheating, if not complete incompetence from the officials

jonathan.gorrie2mo ago

Balogun, but that all started when they allowed Ronaldo into the tournament despite his red, plus forcing Inter Miami into the Club World Cup. Shameless

charlesjones2mo ago

The whole Balogun farce was ridiculous. Pandora’s box been opened and can never be closed again as with almost everything Trump has done.

jonny2mo ago

I think Balogun’s red card being suspended clearly due to Trump’s insistence was the worst decision of all… borderline scandalous and expect a Netflix documentary on it in the next decade.

josh.barker2mo ago

Keep Americans away from football

chillout2mo ago

Trump injecting himself into the tournament and Infantino rolling over just underlines that FIFA is the same old institution that isn’t moving with the times. Fans, clubs and players deserve better - we need a fit-for-purpose regulator.