Geopolitical football: Iran? Trump? How the game can stand strong in a fractured world

Geopolitical football: Iran? Trump? How the game can stand strong in a fractured world

The 2026 World Cup is set to be a polarising event but, even if it will not be the first to be politically contentious, it will expose a growing unease Five months out from the World Cup the politics are impossible to avoid. There are concerns relating to one of the host countries, the US, with armed immigration officials roaming through its cities and visa restrictions ramped up against foreign visitors . One qualifying nation, Iran, is experiencing a public uprising against its leadership, with the regime attacking its citizens in response. Among other qualifiers there are concerns over democratic backsliding in Tunisia, ecological crimes in Ecuador and , in the future host country Saudi Arabia. And that’s just for starters. It sometimes feels as if this summer’s tournament, the one Gianni Infantino recently described as “the greatest show ever on planet Earth”, will serve as an inescapable reminder of the depressing state of the world in 2026. It could yet be an event that goes down in infamy. But it is hardly the only tournament to have prompted ethical concerns and serves as a reminder that the issue of how global sport should engage with such issues has remained largely unresolved. Continue reading...

Trump hasn't changed his mind about Machado being unable to lead Venezuela! - Leavitt's bombshell revelation DURING president's meeting

Trump hasn't changed his mind about Machado being unable to lead Venezuela! - Leavitt's bombshell revelation DURING president's meeting

"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that Donald Trump stood by previous comments about Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado - and why she would not be able to leader that country - during her briefing from DC on Thursday. It came as Trump met Machado at the White House as the briefing took place. "I think the President's assessment that you just pointed out was based on realities on the ground," Leavitt said. "It was a realistic assessment based on what the President was reading and hearing from his advisors and national security team. And at this moment in time, his opinion on that matter has not changed." Following his strikes on Venezuela, Trump insisted that Machado, who beat him to the Nobel Peace prize, "doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country" to become leader. US forces launched strikes on Venezuela and seized President Nicolas Maduro and his wife earlier this month. Trump vowed that he will 'run' Venezuela, while interim leader Delcy Rodriguez has insisted her administration is in control."

Trump was 'simply joking' about 'cancelling the election' - WH press sec

Trump was 'simply joking' about 'cancelling the election' - WH press sec

"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted Donald Trump was 'simply joking' about 'cancelling the election' during her briefing in DC on Thursday. "It was a closed-door interview. Obviously there was not audio or video. The president was was simply joking. He was saying we're doing such a great job We're doing everything the American people thought maybe we should just keep rolling but he was speaking facetiously," she said. In a follow-up, another reporter asked: "Americans for generations have fought and died for democracy, for this democracy. Are you saying that the President finds the idea of cancelling elections funny?" Leavitt replied: "only someone like you would take that so seriously and pose it at a question in that way.""

'What's his plan?' 'Tariffs? No, I'm kidding!' - Leavitt on credit card cap rate

'What's his plan?' 'Tariffs? No, I'm kidding!' - Leavitt on credit card cap rate

"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked for Donald Trump's plan to get credit card firms to lower the cap rate to 10 per cent - and joked 'tariffs' - as she held a briefing in DC on Thursday. "No, I'm just kidding. The President certainly has an expectation, Josh, that the credit card companies will do this, just as he did with the pharmaceutical companies that they will lower costs for American Consumers," she said. "I don't have a specific consequence to outline for you." Trump's tariffs agenda saw him impose a range of levies on countries around the world during the first year of his second term."

'You're a left-wing hack... you shouldn't be sitting here!' - Leavitt blasts reporter asking about ICE killing

'You're a left-wing hack... you shouldn't be sitting here!' - Leavitt blasts reporter asking about ICE killing

"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted a reporter who asked about her 'defending ICE agents' - telling him he was a 'left-wing hack' who 'shouldn't be sitting there' - during her briefing in DC on Thursday. "Renee Good was shot in the head and killed by an ICE agent. How does that equate to them doing everything correctly?" she was asked. "Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed?" she hit back. "Because an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed an unjustified..." he replied. "Oh, okay. So you're a biased reporter with a left-wing opinion," Leavitt said. "You're a left-wing hack, you're not a reporter, you're posing in this room as a journalist and it's so clear by the premise of your question and you and the people in the media who have such biases but fake like you're a journalist you shouldn't even be sitting in that seat but you're pretending like you're a journalist but you're a left-wing activist and the question that you just raised and your answer proves your bias." Violent clashes were seen again in Minneapolis on Wednesday after the second ICE shooting in just a week. Last Wednesday, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot dead by an ICE agent in the same city, sparking huge protests. "

ICE aren't Nazis or the Gestapo! - Leavitt defends law enforcement, attacks media amid protests in Minneapolis over latest shooting

ICE aren't Nazis or the Gestapo! - Leavitt defends law enforcement, attacks media amid protests in Minneapolis over latest shooting

"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended ICE immigration agents following the latest shooting and unrest in Minneapolis, during her briefing from DC on Thursday. "They are simply trying to enforce the law and the Democrat party has demeaned these individuals, they've even referred to them as Nazis and as the Gestapo and that is absolutely leading to the violence we're seeing in the streets," she said. "Look, at this vehicle, look at what it says. It says, F-ICE. You have these individuals who are putting their middle finger, proudly so, at the camera...here's another one and I'm pretty sure this car you can't see it said the best agent is a dead agent or something to that effect," she continued. "This is despicable rhetoric that we're seeing and the media is absolutely complicit in this violence." Violent clashes were seen again in Minneapolis on Wednesday after the second ICE shooting in just a week, which saw a Venezuela national hit in the leg. The Department of Homeland Security said the agent opened fire after being threatened by at least three people, including the man who was shot. The wounded man was hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries, and the two others were arrested. Last Wednesday, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot dead by an ICE agent in the same city, sparking huge protests. "

'Only President Trump knows what he's going to do!' - Leavitt asked how close US came to strikes on Iran

'Only President Trump knows what he's going to do!' - Leavitt asked how close US came to strikes on Iran

"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said "only President Trump knows what he's going to do" as she was asked how close the US came to strikes on Iran, during her briefing in DC on Thursday. "The truth is only President Trump knows what he's going to do, and a very, very small team of advisers are read into his thinking on that," she said. "And as I just told you, he continues to closely monitor the situation on the ground in Iran. And as we saw yesterday, he had heard that the killings and executions would stop, and we have seen 800 people their lives have been spared as a result of that. The president continues to closely monitor but also keep all of his options on the table." On Wednesday, Donald Trump appeared to step back from the brink - after media reports suggested strikes might be imminent - and said "we've been told that the killing in Iran is stopping" and "there's no plan for executions". Earlier, Trump reiterated to Iranian protesters that 'help is on the way' - and told them to 'keep protesting'. He did not expand on what he meant by 'help' although the White House has said airstrikes are among the 'many' options. Economic protests have been ongoing in Iran since December, and intensified in recent days and weeks, with Iran accusing Trump of inflaming tensions - after he warned the authorities he could intervene in the event of a potential crackdown. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei claimed some rioters were destroying property to 'please' the US president. "