Spain won the World Cup, but Donald Trump 'cast a shadow'
Though Donald Trump mostly stayed clear of stadiums, the World Cup may influence the US midterm elections. DW looks at the political implications of "the
Though Donald Trump mostly stayed clear of stadiums, the World Cup may influence the US midterm elections. DW looks at the political implications of "the most successful sporting event maybe in the history of the world." Rodri, like anyone who has ever played football, had dreamed of this moment. The Spain captain held the World Cup in his hands, surrounded by jubilant teammates. But, before he could lift the trophy, he had to find a way to politely usher the world's most powerful man off the stage. He didn't quite succeed. In the end, it required FIFA President Gianni Infantino to jog in front of the players to try and move Donald Trump on. Still the US president lingered next to Barcelona midfielder Pedri, bathing in the adulation he had been denied when walking on to boos with Infantino moments earlier. Trump had overstayed his welcome in similar fashion at the Club World Cup last year. Though Sunday's final, in which Spain beat Argentina 1-0, was the first match of the tournament that Trump attended, he declared it "the most successful sporting event maybe in the history of the world" and was a constant presence even in his absence. "Trump cast a shadow over the entire tournament, weaponizing it for domestic political purposes, regardless of whether he showed up at matches in person," Jules Boykoff, a professor in the Politics and Government Department at Pacific University in the US state of Oregon, told DW. Trump's 'notorious' intervention Trump administration policies denied entry to the United States for a Somali FIFA referee, forced Iran to train in Mexico and travel to games in Los Angeles and Seattle, and barred fans from around the world from attending matches. On top of all that, Boykoff said, Trump's knockout-stage phone call to FIFA "will most assuredly go down as one of the most notorious political interventions in World Cup history." Though Trump' successfully lobbied to overturn the red card suspension of star striker Folarin Balogun, the strategy backfired on the field, with the US losing its last-16 match against a fired-up Belgium 4-1.
"I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy," Balogun said. "I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it was something that's so unique." Boykoff said the sporting implications would not have been at the forefront of Trump's mind. "Intervening in the red card situation allowed him to deliver the message to his political base that he could get international bodies like FIFA to bend to his will," said Boykoff, who represented the US at the youth level as a player. "Most of Trump's actions during the World Cup should be read as efforts to influence a domestic political audience ahead of a key midterm election, not as an attempt to convince an international audience that he's some great guy." 2026 World Cup, the tournament that changed football forever To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Trump insisted that the tournament has boosted the US's international reputation. "All over the world, people have come and they love our country," he told reporters. Was Balogun call a mistake for Trump? The US midterm elections are set for November 3 and, with the war in Iran ongoing, Trump's approval rating is below 40%. Though a "shakedown" of a global organization such as FIFA may have an appeal with a base he's already won over, Karim Zidan told DW that the Balogun intervention was a political misstep for Trump. "I think that, in boasting about this when the United States men's national team gave an opportunity for him to rally behind a team that seemed to be unifying Americans, he managed to find a way to taint it, and those who dislike him hated him just that little bit more," Zidan said. Such unprecedented and direct political intervention in a footballing decision drew scorn and fury from most of the rest of the world — with politicians, football federations, fans and coaches all piling on to criticize.
The BriefWire