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Amidst the rubble of Gaza, and far from the spectacle of the FIFA event in North America, a World Cup simulation game was played on Thursday among soccer players who survived the ongoing “genocide” in Palestine.It was a surreal scene like from a Polanski war film.The green pitch, surrounded by a city in shambles, not only witnessed the first football match to be broadcast live in Gaza since the Israeli-led offensive began in October 2023, the six-a-side game also had an interesting political context.While one team wore the Palestinian national colors, the other team wore a Spanish jersey — apparently in recognition of Spain’s support and recognition of the state of Palestine. It also brought to light the support La Rojas will receive from this conflict-torn region when they face Argentina in the World Cup final on Monday.And the Spanish flags flying next to the Palestinian ones testified that despite all FIFA’s mandates that the World Cup be free of politics, the reality is far from the rules written behind the closed doors of its headquarters in Zurich.It also doesn’t help the Gianni Infantino-led world organization that the protagonists at MetLife Stadium on Monday will represent two countries at opposite ends of the political spectrum.While Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has been the loudest voice for Palestine, inclusivity and left-wing ideology in Europe, the political ideology of his Argentine counterpart can be summed up in the fact that he is one of the strongest supporters of the US president Donald Trump.Prime Minister Javier Milei’s statement that “the only left that works is Messi’s left leg” is well known.He is an anarcho-capitalist, minarchist and libertarian conservative, who advocates conservative social values, is a supporter of Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu as another famous friend.That his ideology may have spilled over into World Cup venues is evident in the racist slurs some Argentinian fans have documented against an American power player of color, as well as the throwing of beer at Egyptian fans during Argentina’s Round of 16 match.There was an incident with some players from the 2022 World Cup winning team singing a racist song on the team bus after the win in Qatar.It is a satire of history itself that a country once colonized by the Spanish Empire — which liberated the land of its own people — now has Miley’s right-wing government at the helm while its colonizers stand on the left advocating diversity and socialism. And that the Latin American finalists are the only all-white team among the 48 nations at the World Cup, while Spain will have players of immigrant origin like Lamine Yamal and Nic Williams working in tandem with ethnic Spaniards like Pedri and Ferran Torres to bring the trophy home.It is also worth noting that the man who replaced the Che tattoo with Maradona as the greatest footballer remained apolitical, seeing nothing in being seen with Trump. Therefore, Lionel Messi he is also in stark contrast to his striking counterpart at the opposite end, 19-year-old Yamal, who waved a Palestinian flag during Barcelona’s victory parade.And that’s the reality the world will be staring at when the New Jersey summit begins.However, the 2026 edition – which takes place against the backdrop of a US-Israeli war against Iran – is already mired in politics.While the Iranian team had to move its base to Mexico due to US sanctions and was forced to rush in and out of America for its matches, Africa’s referee of the year, Somali Omar Artan, was the victim of another host of sanctions that prevented him from entering their countries to officiate at the World Cup.So, when La Rojas take the field against the Albiceleste, the political overtones will remain in the background.And while a Spanish victory will surely see La Rojigualda fluttering in the distant skies of Gaza, an Argentine victory will not only be another gift for Messi fans, but will likely make the right’s biggest icons – Milea, Trump and Netanyahu, who has also expressed support for Argentina – rejoice in unison.
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