A World Cup Letdown: From Golden Boys to the Ugly Game

A Listed Building's Walls

My office sits in a Grade II listed building with uniquely fascinating décor: wallpaper made from a collage of newspaper front pages marking world events.

The Kennedy assassination, the birth of the first test-tube baby, the moon landing, the Beatles arriving in America, the birth of Prince George, the murder of John Lennon, the death of Elvis Presley, Usain Bolt breaking the 100m world record at the 2012 Olympics, and now, crucially, England winning the World Cup.

The Sunday Mirror, 31st July 1966. The morning after the only World Cup that ever truly mattered to me, and I was barely old enough to know it.

It is the little things, the unfairness and the distrust, that have exacerbated my disinterest in global events. The minor infraction of the Formula 1 rules by a race steward, the one that robbed Lewis Hamilton of an eighth world championship, means I have never watched another race since.

Three Flags, One Cup

I was just a few months old when England lifted the trophy against West Germany in 1966, the Sunday Mirror crowing "Golden Boys!" the morning after. To have seen them win it in my lifetime, even if I cannot remember a moment of it, is perhaps why I am no longer troubled by whether they excel or falter in this edition.

My allegiances have wandered as my life has. I have supported England, where I was born; Nigeria, my country of heritage; and the Netherlands, where I lived for twelve years. Each has handed me its own disappointment.

I watched Nigeria play Bulgaria at the Parc des Princes during the 1998 World Cup, and I donned the orange of the Netherlands for the 2010 final, hosted in South Africa, though I watched it on holiday in Spain. Walking back to my hotel in Dutch colours after Spain's victory remains one of the worst sporting indignities I have endured.

Festivals Losing Their Shine

We used to gather in May for Eurovision, but the controversy around Israel's participation, which led to a boycott by five countries, meant I felt it was no longer a contest. Though it produced a new winning country, I refused to watch anything, including the highlights. In 2026, we had Euroblindness, and I do not know what might make it exciting again.

Yesterday, the FIFA World Cup began in Mexico, hosted this time by three countries, including Canada and the United States. The United States is at a war of its own choosing with Iran, a participating nation. Iran has moved its base to Mexico. A FIFA referee from Somalia was denied entry to the US, and FIFA simply shrugged.

Politics Invades the Pitch

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is threatening to raid World Cup venues to apprehend and arrest supposed illegal immigrants. President Donald Trump is quite cosy with Gianni Infantino, the FIFA President, who conferred a FIFA World Peace Prize on Donald Trump in a farcical imitation of the Nobel Peace Prize.

With players and officials alike suffering indignities at the behest of the policies prevailing in the US, it is no wonder that interest in this World Cup is not showing up in record hotel bookings. The somewhat exorbitant match tickets will now have to depend on local fans to fill the stadiums, as the prices fall to more reasonable levels.

No Enthusiasm Here

No, I have garnered no enthusiasm for this fiesta at all, apart from snippets that fall into sight from partly obscured social media statuses, informing us why South Africa lost their match against Mexico. This was a reference to the largest number of red cards ever issued in a World Cup match, which left South Africa down to nine men by the end.

Yes, there was one video of Burna Boy being lauded by his mother after his performance at the opening of the tournament, yet I have not turned on my television to watch any clips or updates. I am neither playing nor engaged, and I hope the month slithers away into insignificance whilst we find other joys of living beyond this enterprise of chicanery that pretends to unite the world in the pursuit of a leather ball.

What Is the Point?

Heck, there are 48 teams playing, and yet Nigeria, Italy, India, and China cannot find a minimum of 23 men to fly the flag. What is the point? The way things are going, all countries might as well be invited to a three-month World Cup to cure the world of boredom, and we might enjoy one long holiday from its troubles.

No one could ever have thought that the US, being the main host of a FIFA World Cup, would portend less eagerness than the ones in Qatar or Russia before. But if this ends up being the least entertaining ever, the record alone would leave a big smile on our faces. I can assure you, it would be just deserts.

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Punish Spain hard for Sport racism

Abuse again

Hearing that the golden boy of Formula 1 racing was racially abused in Barcelona, Spain was quite disheartening.

Louis Hamilton stirred the imagination of motor racing fans and the general populace when in his rookie year (2007) he lead the championship for almost half the season and it was down to the very last race before a champion was crowned with him coming second in the championship points.

I am of the view that McLaren his team wanted to stage an amazing climax in what really should have been concluded in China at the penultimate race – the rest is history.

Louis Hamilton’s motor-racing skills proved he was not a token equal-opportunities face and it pitched him against a two-time champion who being unable to retain the mystique of his achievements over the young lad turned the championship into a rivalry within the team that cost the team very dear.

They have form

There are some who would say that the animosity Louis has suffered from Spanish crowd stems from the soured relationship he had with Fernando Alonso but that would really be disingenuous to say the least.

The Spaniards have form when it comes to the racist abuse of people of colour and it has been exhibited by people as highly placed as the Spanish coach.

English football players of colour have heard despicable monkey chants which really should have one thinking, who really is playing monkey – definitely, not the one being abused.

Other players of colour in the Spanish league have been subjected to this primitive behaviour of assuming to be of a superior standard of race and rectitude.

A fitting punishing deterrent

It would appear the sanctions that have been levied against the perpetrators and the Spanish sporting authorities have not served as enough a deterrent to stop this loathsome attitude.

If is includes taking to two Formula 1 races out of Spain to more deserving countries with responsible fans, then it would not be a sanction too great to teach a very hard lesson.

The picture of blackened faces with Hamilton Family vests cannot be a costume party joke regardless of the anger fans might have felt about the Hamilton-Alonso rivalry .

To eliminate racism in sport, the pain of punishment must be felt very hard and the one about Hamilton must be taken as a general trend rather than a particular instance.

The same racist Spanish fans of motorsport could as well be football fans doing the same thing – until proven otherwise a fitting sanction and punishment must be meted out forthwith.

Like Hamilton, I love the city of Barcelona but would not condone this behaviour, somebody had better be doing something before a groundswell of indignant inquisition wipes the Spanish of the sporting slate.

We look forward to Louis Hamilton going for goal this season but not with this kind of nonsense coming into the foreground.