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Bread, Circuses, and Regime Change
From the pitch to the cage, major sports institutions have helped recast Donald Trump as a “peace president”—even as the bombs keep falling.
Mar 1
•
Karim Zidan
19
5
The Coach Trying to Heal Bosnia’s Wounds
Ahead of a pair of crucial World Cup qualifiers, Nadan Hadzic writes about football's role in Bosnia Herzegovina—a country still healing from the wounds…
Feb 14
•
Nadan Hadzic
23
4
7
The Empty Threat of a World Cup Boycott
Boycotts demand backbone, moral clarity, and a willingness to absorb real costs. European leaders have shown, time and again, that they possess none of…
Jan 28
•
Karim Zidan
30
4
8
"In my country, I suffer injustice"
In Morocco, football has emerged as a battleground between political aspirations and popular dreams.
Jan 20
•
Karim Zidan
24
1
6
African Football and the Long Shadow of Empire
Once a force for decolonization and African pride, the continent's crowning jewel of football—the AFCON—is increasingly beholden to local autocrats and…
Jan 9
•
Karim Zidan
25
4
Qatar was watching us all along
“We had profiles for journalists: who was friendly, who was supportive, who was easygoing, who was critical and who was problematic. And we had a way to…
Dec 16, 2025
•
Karim Zidan
20
4
When the World Cup Became America First
By aligning with FIFA and steering preparations, Donald Trump has turned football’s global spectacle into a tool for his MAGA vision.
Dec 2, 2025
•
Karim Zidan
17
1
4
Gianni Infantino, Peacemaker
Infantino’s diplomacy is not the diplomacy of treaties and compromises. It is the diplomacy of branding and spectacle. Where others see conflict, he…
Oct 14, 2025
•
Karim Zidan
22
6
Stars, Stripes, and Double Standards
The U.S. will co-host the World Cup in a year's time. Will journalists, fans and watchdogs hold it to the same standard as Qatar? Or will American…
Jun 11, 2025
•
Karim Zidan
21
6
In conversation with Abdullah Ibhais, Qatar World Cup whistleblower
Less than two months following his release from Qatari prison, I spent some time with Abdullah Ibhais, the Jordanian whistleblower jailed for refusing…
Jun 3, 2025
•
Karim Zidan
14
3
46:13
Meditations from Marseille: FIFA's silence, Gaza's suffering
My time in Marseille made me reflect on the role sports continue to play in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, whether through silence, inaction, or a sheer…
May 28, 2025
•
Karim Zidan
23
6
Attending the 2026 World Cup? Right to jail
This is the true face of America. All Vance is doing is saying the quiet part out loud.
May 9, 2025
•
Karim Zidan
22
6
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