Trump’s World Cup of chaos

The football World Cup – one of the biggest global sporting events – kicks off this week, with the United States in the spotlight as co-host.

Our campaign, Football Against Fascism, has been clear from the start: the US under Donald Trump should not be hosting these matches.

Trump’s actions have plagued World Cup planning, and now threaten to throw the tournament into disarray – with players, staff, pundits, fans and even referees from England, Scotland and all over the world facing visa troubles and bans. And there’s more chaos to come.

That’s why today we’re launching the Trump World Cup Chaos Tracker to ensure there’s a record of how Trump’s racist, violent policies affect this tournament, and to galvanise sports fans against Trump’s far-right regime.

FIFA’s corruption and Trump’s authoritarian politics are a toxic pair. The lesson here for fans and for all of us is that we can’t leave our rights on the sideline when it comes to sport.

We must resist the far right and corporate capture, and demand sporting celebrations are rooted in human rights and solidarity – otherwise they’re doomed before kick-off.