How Trump’s intervention tarnished the World Cup – The Latest

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0:45The United States are probably the biggest losers from this. I said, I think this should be reviewed because I watched the play and he didn't do anything wrong. It raises serious questions about what role the FIFA president, Gianfantino had in the process and if he was effectively letting Donald Trump dictate policy. From the Guardians today in Focus, this is The Latest with me, Lucy Hoth.

1:12There's just over a week to go until the World Cup winner is crowned next Sunday. And it has been a wonderful tournament in terms of football, but it has also been a tournament full of political controversy. Matt Hughes, you're our global business sport correspondent. Thanks for joining us. Donald Trump had been largely quiet as president and host nation of this tournament, but he has made one very vocal intervention that has drawn a lot of controversy. What happened? He has been really quiet and we haven't seen or heard from him over the whole course of the World Cup, really. Nor has he attended any matches, which is unusual.

1:54No, he didn't go to any game until one this week. But he certainly made his presence felt initially behind the scenes last week when he took it upon himself to try and get a red card that was shown to the United States as star striker Florian Balogun overturned. He was sent off against Bosnia in the last 32. It was seen as a pretty harsh red card. and the rules, just to explain, the rules of FIFA competitions, World Cups, if you're sent off, you get an automatic one-match suspension. It can be increased if it's seen as a particularly violent challenge. And crucially, there's no right of appeal.

2:40So the United States accepted it. He was going to miss the last 16 games against Belgium. However, behind the scenes, Donald Trump, Andrew Giuliani, the chair of the World Cup task force, were furiously putting pressure on FIFA to get this red card lifted. And they acquiesced last Sunday. It was announced he would be available to play and their reasoning was that the red card wasn't overturned, but the suspension was suspended for 12 months, basically, so he's put on probation. It's never happened before during a World Cup. I think there have been 189 red cards in World Cups going back to 1930.

3:21None of them have ever been frozen in this way. So it was completely unprecedented. So this very unprecedented intervention from Trump. I mean, all eyes were on that US-Belgium match earlier this week. I think had the US won, there would have been, you know, serious questions about that. behind closed doors dealings between Trump and FIFA. But mercifully, Belgium absolutely thrashed them for one. But it has, I think, tarnished the reputation of the US as a host nation. Do you agree? Do you think that will be the legacy of this tournament? Yeah, it has. In the space of 24 hours, USA went from being globally popular and, you know, people like to see hosts do well.

4:07It's good for the tournament, but they've suddenly became pilloried pilloried and everyone was supporting Belgium and taking delight in their 4-1 victory. So while FIFA may have dodged a bullet in a difficult legal action from the Belgian Federation if they'd been knocked out, ironically the United States are probably the biggest losers from this. And he raises serious questions about what role the FIFA president, Gianni Fantino, had in the process and if he was effectively letting Donald Trump dictate policy. Gianni Infantino is another man who comes out terribly from all of this. As you say, that sort of behind the scenes dealing that Trump openly acknowledged in that Oval Office press conference earlier this week.

4:52I mean, even the former controversial FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, has criticised Infantino for this. Do you think this could be career ending for Infantino? I mean, in any other walk of life, in any other sport, it probably would be. but the way FIFA works, he's protected. It's a one-member, one-vote organisation. There's 208 countries, and essentially FIFA make the vast majority of them all their money. So in England or Germany and France, where there's obviously a lot of money in football, we can point out this shambolic governance, but many of the countries in the World Cup and others that aren't rely on the money FIFA hand out every year in their development grants as they're called.

5:42So although he does face re-election next year I don't even think there'll be anyone who will stand against him because his position is so strong. Yeah, well it's not a great look is it? But the football aside from the very very dodgy politics has been quite remarkable but has also been interesting in terms of the number of teams that were allowed to play in the first round. 48 teams was the expanded number. How do you think that's gone? Because it's created some of the most interesting games I think we've seen in any World Cup, hasn't it? It's actually gone better than most people expected. I think a lot of traditional fans were opposed.

6:27There were concerns that the additional teams wouldn't be of the required quality. and there might just be too much football. It's gone from 64 games to 104 matches since the last World Cup. So a huge expansion, really. But most of the so-called minnows have actually done really well. And we saw an amazing game last week where Kev Verde nearly beat Argentina. Haiti weren't disgraced. So the sort of smaller Latin American, African countries that qualified for the first time have actually done really well. and the part of the concern now is that it's gone so well that they might try and grow it again to the 64 tips.

7:07Yeah, goodness. Yeah, that Cape Verde match was absolutely extraordinary and it's also been some of the best performances from some of the great players, hasn't it? I mean, Mbappe really sort of cementing his reputation as the best player of his generation. Do you think, with that in mind, with this big expansion and seeing some of these teams that have never qualified to this stage, plus the best players performing so well, how that will place this World Cup in the context of other World Cups, despite the very, very stinky politics. I think the football has been fantastic. And as you say, possibly more via luck than judgment, FIFA have delivered a perfect blend of some shocks, news stories, a proper global tournament.

7:55nine African teams out of the ten actually qualified from the groups. But at the end, it's the bigger nations. It's the six Europeans, Argentina and Morocco, who are in the last eight. And as you say, the big names, the global brands, Mbappe, Messi, Haaland, Kane, they're all there at the end for a final shooter, which means more eyeballs, more money for FIFA, everyone goes home happy. Well, on the subject of Haaland and Kane, Erling Haaland obviously being one of the great players playing for Norway, Harry Kane, England captain, we're all on tenderhooks for the Norway-England game, which will be decisive for England's future for the rest of the competition.

8:39Most likely, if they win tomorrow, they'll play Argentina on Wednesday. Obviously, don't want to talk in hypotheticals, but what do you expect to happen? I think it's a great opportunity for England, really. Norway, a very good team, and they've got a couple of world-class players, known to be Haaland, the best goal scorer in the Premier League. But I think England would rather be facing them than Brazil, who surprisingly Norway beat in the last round. And part of that is the conditions they'll face in Miami. It's a 5pm kick-off in Miami, will be forecast to be 32-33. but the weather experts say that with the humidity it will feel more like early 40s.

9:21I was actually in Miami at the start of the tournament and the heat was hot in Europe at the moment but the heat over there is different. It feels brutal. So I think European footballers will find that hard. So I think playing against another European team might actually help England but I expect drama, I expect excitement and I expect it to go all the way again. So in percentage terms, what is the chances do you think of England bringing it home as a final question? Well that's a tough question I mean they've got a chance I think they'll get through this game but beating Argentina and France which is the likely route to the trophy it's odds again so I'm going to give them a miserly 15 % chance.

10:05Oh, God. Oh, well, Matt, fingers crossed you're wrong, but you are the expert. Thank you so much for your time. Pleasure. That's it for today. My huge thanks again to Matt Hughes, our global sports business correspondent. You can keep up with all his reporting and our live coverage of a very busy sports weekend over at theguardian.com. And do head over to our sister podcast, Politics Weekly America. Jonathan Friedland is talking to the New Yorker Susan Glasser in a week where Trump has been at NATO. and the US has resumed strikes on Iran. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts, and you can also watch on YouTube.

10:42Thanks for listening to this episode of The Latest. Today in Focus will be back in your feeds on Monday morning. The Latest will be back on Monday night. Have a lovely weekend. This episode was presented by me, Lucy Hoff. It was produced by Annie Levespa and Leo Schick. The senior producer was Ryan Ramgobin.

11:04England are still in the USA and so are we Join me, Max Rushton, and a host of football experts as we overanalyse every game every day at the World Cup including England's forthcoming quarterfinal against Norway It's Haaland versus Gay It's Herring versus Cod It's Vikings versus agonising, tragic failure The Guardian's World Cup Daily available wherever you get your podcasts This is The Guardian

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