Former FIFA president questions ‘political power’ after Trump-Infantino call over Balogun red card; The Hill, July 6, 2026

 MAX REGO , The Hill ; Former FIFA president questions ‘political power’ after Trump-Infantino call over Balogun red card

"Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Monday joined those raising questions about soccer’s governing body overturning the one-game suspension of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun after President Trump spoke to Blatter’s successor, Gianni Infantino, about the matter...

Trump on Monday confirmed he spoke to Infantino after the U.S.-Belgium game and “asked for a review” of the play, which saw Balogun and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemović collide while battling for the ball. Trump also questioned the officiating crew’s use of instant replay to dole out the penalty."

Mexico’s kidnapping crisis: 'How can they hold a World Cup?’ – video; The Guardian, July 4, 2026

 Tom Phillips,, Frances Rankin,, Analy Nuño,, Christopher Cherry,, Kyri Evangelou,, Noah Payne-Frank, and Katie Arnold,, The Guardian; Mexico’s kidnapping crisis: 'How can they hold a World Cup?’ – video

"As England prepares to take on Mexico in the Fifa World Cup, another battle is playing out just beyond the Azteca Stadium. More than 130,000 people have been forcibly disappeared in Mexico as cartel violence surges, leaving thousands of families searching for answers. They say the authorities have failed them and are demanding justice. The Guardian follows two families as they confront the police and challenge the government, determined to use football's biggest tournament to expose Mexico's disappearance crisis."

Somali Referee Says His World Cup Dream Is Dashed After U.S. Denies Entry; The New York Times, June 9, 2026

Matthew Mpoke Bigg, The New York Times ; Somali Referee Says His World Cup Dream Is Dashed After U.S. Denies Entry

I had the right papers and everything,” Omar Abdulkadir Artan said in his first interview since he was turned back. He would have been the first Somali to referee a game in the tournament

"A referee from Somalia said on Tuesday that the biggest dream of his professional life had been shattered after the American authorities denied him permission to enter the United States to participate in the World Cup soccer tournament.

The referee, Omar Abdulkadir Artan, was one of 52 selected for this summer’s World Cup in North America. He was one of seven African referees to be chosen for the tournament and would have been the first Somali to referee a World Cup game.

Speaking for the first time since he was denied entry to the United States, Mr. Artan told The New York Times that officiating a World Cup game would have been a symbol for all Somalis of what they could achieve in spite of their country’s difficulties.

“I am very, very disappointed,” Mr. Artan said in a telephone interview from Istanbul, the city he had been flown to after he was refused entry. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.”...

The immigration interview ended after 11 hours, Mr. Artan said, and he was then taken to a separate holding cell where he was detained for several further hours before being put on a flight back to Istanbul. He said that officials did not give him a reason for refusing him entry."