After refusing to help cover up migrant worker abuses as Qatar's World Cup media manager, Abdullah Ibhais was imprisoned—and forced to watch the tournament from behind bars. Listen to episode 4 of Power Plays to learn more about his story. www.sportspolitika.news/p/qatar-worl...

Incredible roster of World Cup guests incoming including @zeets.bsky.social, @leylahamed.bsky.social, @karimzidan.com, @karachikhatmal.bsky.social and so many more.

"Infantino isn’t fit to lead FIFA. 
And FIFA isn’t fit to govern football. But to change it, we first have to expose and prove how unaccountable FIFA really is. Add your name to our complaint to FIFA’s Ethics Committee, demand that Infantino be investigated immediately" (@fairsq.bsky.social)

Excited to share that we are launching a new podcast on integrity and the darker sides of international sport🎧 Corruption, human rights, geopolitics, gambling, and abuse in sport are among the issues in a new podcast from @playthegame-org.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/play-th...

The World Cup comes to Vancouver in two weeks. Hotel workers are still fighting for a contract. DTES residents are being cleared from their homes. The city is deploying 800 extra officers. Who is this for? My latest for @karimzidan.com's Sports Politika: www.sportspolitika.news/p/world-cup-...

NEWS: In September, the Washington Post fired me in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk killing. This week, after eight months, I'll be heading to arbitration against the Post to challenge my termination. karenattiah.substack.com/p/my-case-ag...

Vancouver bracing for the 2026 World Cup, w/ residents in the Downtown Eastside being displaced from their homes & the city deploying its biggest police force ever. @sharonnadeem.bsky.social asks *Who Is This World Cup For?* for @karimzidan.com Sports Politika www.sportspolitika.news/p/world-cup-...

In the interview they discuss @karimzidan.com's "Power Plays" podcast series on the political history of the men's World Cup & how autocrats have used the tournament to their advantage. The series is *essential listening* ahead of this summer's World Cup. Created w/ @hrf.org hrf.org/podcast/powe...

Etch-A-Sketch economics in action: Vancouver's World Cup costs have expanded from $224 million in 2022 to somewhere between $685-million and $729-million today. It could cost the City of Vancouver + BC Province ~$114 million to host 7 matches www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Vladimir Putin seized the 2018 World Cup as a chance to reintroduce Russia on the global stage. Pussy Riot, an infamous Russian feminist protest art group, had other plans. Listen to Ep 3 of Power Plays now. www.sportspolitika.news/p/episode-3-...

🔥 interview on the history of the World Cup & how fascists have used it to their political advantage. @karimzidan.com + @edgeofsports.bsky.social in conversation @thenation.com www.thenation.com/podcast/cult...

I know they're not perfect as a group but "Pussy Riot" remains one of the best names of all time.

Learned about this show through the new @edgeofsports.bsky.social episode and it sounds like an important listen. overcast.fm/+AAz8AIVh7sA

Some superb podcasts from Karim in recent weeks - sign up and support his work.

Vladimir Putin seized the 2018 World Cup as a chance to reintroduce Russia on the global stage. Pussy Riot, an infamous Russian feminist protest art group, had other plans. Listen to Ep 3 of Power Plays now. www.sportspolitika.news/p/episode-3-...

Such a treat to write this piece on Timo Furuholm, the former Finnish international footballer who today is a member of Finland's parliament: a fascinating person with deep thoughts on politics & this summer's World Cup. Big thanks to @josimarfootball.bsky.social! josimarfootball.com/2026/05/28/f...

Episode 3 is less than a day away! In the meantime, if you haven’t already checked out the first two episodes of Power Plays, what are you waiting for? Substack link: www.sportspolitika.news/s/power-plays External players: power-plays.captivate.fm/listen?mc_ci...

Episode 3 is less than a day away! In the meantime, if you haven’t already checked out the first two episodes of Power Plays, what are you waiting for? Substack link: www.sportspolitika.news/s/power-plays External players: power-plays.captivate.fm/listen?mc_ci...

Dana White isn't a very intellectual person. You can see this clearly each time someone pushes back on him in interviews (which isn't often). But, also, his primary audience has the mental capacity of toddlers, so this isn't surprising.

Jeg har nå på engelsk skrevet om den meningsløse trakasseringen av Abdullah Ibhais på engelsk. Hvis ikke norske medier tar tak i dette gjør de ikke jobben sin. www.playthegame.org/news/qatar-w...

On Episode 2 of Power Plays: -How Brazil's dictator exploited Pele at 1970 World Cup -The Rise of Joao Havalange & FIFA's transformation into a mafia -The brutal Argentinian military junta who oversaw the 1978 World Cup www.sportspolitika.news/p/pele-1978-...

When I started writing for Bloody Elbow more than a decade ago, Wyman was one the writers I looked up to. It was a sad day when he stopped writing about the sport but he has since gone on to do incredible (and much more important) work!

The UFC is a great example of everything that's gone wrong in American pop culture, sports, and the economy generally over the past few decades: an organization run entirely for the benefit of its owners that leaves broken minds and bodies in its wake while catering intentionally to awful people.

On Episode 2 of Power Plays: -How Brazil's dictator exploited Pele at 1970 World Cup -The Rise of Joao Havalange & FIFA's transformation into a mafia -The brutal Argentinian military junta who oversaw the 1978 World Cup www.sportspolitika.news/p/pele-1978-...

If you think this man is fit to run a football club, you probably run a football club.

In the first episode of Power Plays, we explained how the 1934 World Cup became a fascist spectacle. Episode 2 travels to the 1970s, when FIFA navigated relation with dictators & military juntas. www.sportspolitika.news/p/pele-1978-...

In the first episode of Power Plays, we explained how the 1934 World Cup became a fascist spectacle. Episode 2 travels to the 1970s, when FIFA navigated relation with dictators & military juntas. www.sportspolitika.news/p/pele-1978-...

The 2026 World Cup is weeks away. Ahead of the tournament, I've launched a new podcast looking at FIFA's authoritarian history, starting with Mussolini's fascist takeover of the 1934 World Cup. Listen to Power Plays whereever you get your podcasts: www.sportspolitika.news/p/fascist-wo...

Turki al-Sheikh rented the Pyramids of Giza for his gaudy boxing spectacle. But his soft power attempt was flawed. What we learned was that, while Saudi has more money than God, it can’t buy culture and it can't buy civilization. www.sportspolitika.news/p/pyramids-g...

I(CE) wonder what could be possibly be giving international soccer fans pause? 80% of hotels say bookings in World Cup host cities are lagging behind initial forecasts. The American Hotel & Lodging Association says FIFA shares the blame. www.latimes.com/business/sto...

Turki al-Sheikh rented the Pyramids of Giza for his gaudy boxing spectacle. But his soft power attempt was flawed. What we learned was that, while Saudi has more money than God, it can’t buy culture and it can't buy civilization. www.sportspolitika.news/p/pyramids-g...

The 2026 World Cup is weeks away. Ahead of the tournament, I've launched a new podcast looking at FIFA's authoritarian history, starting with Mussolini's fascist takeover of the 1934 World Cup. Listen to Power Plays whereever you get your podcasts: www.sportspolitika.news/p/fascist-wo...

Read human-rights specialist @ncgeehan.bsky.social on how FIFA "preaches global unity, yet it consistently ignores & mishandles the Palestinians." Powerful, detailed analysis at @josimarfootball.bsky.social josimarfootball.com/2026/05/22/f...

A very strong op-ed by @ncgeehan.bsky.social - dissecting how Fifa have mishandled Palestine and its FA. josimarfootball.com/2026/05/22/f...

In 1934, tens of thousands packed into a stadium in Rome to watch Italy win the World Cup. It should have been a celebration of sport and diplomacy. Instead, it was a carefully staged display of fascist power. Listen to episode 1 of Power Plays now www.sportspolitika.news/p/fascist-wo...

This was an excellent listen on Mussolini and fascist sportswashing long before that nomenclature came to be. Several podcasts I’m most enjoying are at the intersection of sports and politics; also The Press Box and I’m just getting into Brazalete Negro. Spolitics by Jemele Hill is another favorite.

In 1934, tens of thousands packed into a stadium in Rome to watch Italy win the World Cup. It should have been a celebration of sport and diplomacy. Instead, it was a carefully staged display of fascist power. Listen to episode 1 of Power Plays now www.sportspolitika.news/p/fascist-wo...

After the success of In the Red Corner, I have once again joined forces with the talented Elie Bleier on a new narrative series about the authoritarian history of the World Cup. 5 episodes spanning 1934 to 2034. Subscribe to Power Plays! www.sportspolitika.news/p/fifa-autho...

‼️NEW briefing Our new research reveals injustice at the heart of football. 9⃣ English Premier League football clubs are sponsored by corporations that are involved in Israel’s apartheid and genocide of the Palestinian people. Read the full briefing: waronwant.org/resources/re...

⚽️ @lfcr.bsky.social, @arsenalfc.bsky.social, and Tottenham Hotspurs top the league table of complicity – but every club is indirectly sponsored by Barclays, the EPL’s main sponsor – which has long enabled apartheid.

Kylian Mbappé, the French soccer superstar, has never made a secret of his distaste for the far right. His latest warnings about its rise in France, a month before the World Cup, have thrust him back into the treacherous scrum of sports and politics.

'Lamine no hizo nada malo', por @karimzidan.com en su imprescindible Sports Politika.

Rousey vs. Carano was an absurd mismatch. But it also provided a spectacle MMA’s most powerful organization has been lacking My latest for The Guardian www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/m...

The best thing you might read on FIFA this year, never mind today. If you care about football and the way it is being misgoverned and misappropriated, one of the best thing you can do is support @josimarfootball.bsky.social josimarfootball.com/2026/05/14/o...

"If she has her own house, what will she need me for?" I don't know, dude, maybe be cool and fun to be around and be happy for her success instead being whiny little sad-ass troll about it? www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup kicking off in less than a month, I spoke with fans from Bosnia and Herzegovina about what it means for their country to be on the biggest stage of football. Their voices will make you think about sport and identity differently. www.cbc.ca/sports/socce...

Jules' writing is exceptional, timely, and unrelenting. His latest book is no exception. Buy it now: orbooks.com/catalog/red-...

Palestine will be the "49th team" at the 2026 World Cup, I'm quite sure. At a match yesterday in Sarajevo between local team Željezničar and Sloga Doboj, the Palestinian flag was flying all around the stadium.

French lawyers acting on behalf of Sudanese nationals have called for EU sanctions against Sheikh Mansour Al-Nahyan for his alleged links to the Rapid Support Forces committing genocide in Sudan. This follows from @fairsq.bsky.social call on UK govt to investigate Mansour.