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Hello! A German Bundesliga club president is trying to initiate a conversation about a boycott of the 2026 World Cup. Will it catch on?
Coming up:
Boycott debate: Bundesliga club president calls for teams to abandon World Cup
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters/Imagn Images
By now, it should be apparent to everybody that football and politics will be intertwined at the 2026 World Cup. The sport professes to be apolitical but the degrees of separation are slight and discourse around the finals is not being limited to the game itself.
Much has been made of the tight relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, an example of how close football’s world governing body is to the biggest corridors of power. Close attention is also being paid to the political scene in North America, and the United States most of all — not least this past week.
On Saturday, a 37-year-old man, Alex Pretti, was shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis while protesting against the U.S. government’s immigration policies. This followed the fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman, Renee Nicole Good, during activity by the Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) agency in the same city. Both deaths are being investigated.
Trump, meanwhile, has spent much of the past month stating America’s claim to control of Greenland, in the face of fierce opposition from other governments. Yesterday, a senior German club official spoke to The Athletic and asked whether, in light of events in the States, nations who have qualified for the World Cup should now consider boycotting it.
Oke Goettlich, the president of Hamburg-based top-flight team St. Pauli, said: “It is clearly time to at least discuss a boycott. Germany’s Foreign Office has issued travel advisories for parts of the United States. We are seeing people die on the streets as a result of actions by immigration enforcement. We do not know what will happen with Greenland. Against that backdrop, it’s responsible and necessary to openly discuss which scenarios are on the table.”
Goettlich’s suggestion is almost unthinkable: that countries would consider sitting out the 2026 finals in direct protest against a national administration. The only precedents of sorts are the U.S. refusing to compete at the 1980 Olympic Games in the Soviet Union, and the Soviets responding in kind at the Los Angeles games in 1984. Prompted by Goettlich’s comments, Henry Bushnell looked at whether a boycott of this summer’s tournament is in any way likely.
How likely is it?
While Goettlich was forthright, Henry found little support for the 50-year-old’s remarks. German football association (DFB) president Bernd Neuendorf, dismissed them completely, saying: “I don’t think this is a major debate at all, because I believe we at the DFB are very much in agreement that we consider it completely misguided at this point. Unfortunately, (Goettlich) is jumping the gun.”
Other prominent figures are equally reluctant to push the idea of an organised boycott. Philippe Diallo, the French Football Federation president, said: “I’m paying attention to the international situation, but at this stage there is absolutely no question of a boycott by the French team.” Spain, the reigning European champions, have not broached the subject, according to sources spoken to by Henry. Other major nations are similarly reticent.
Goettlich is therefore out on a limb, even though former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said this week that it was “right to question the tournament”. So the debate is happening, and football and politics are crossing over heavily in the build-up to the finals — but we’re a long way from FIFA’s big show coming under meaningful threat.
News round-up
Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images
- Spanish football federation president Rafael Louzan has called for Spain to be nominated as hosts of the 2030 World Cup final. He criticised Morocco’s handling of the recent Africa Cup of Nations, claiming it “damaged world football”. Morocco are 2030 co-hosts, alongside Spain and Portugal.
- The United Soccer League announced the creation of a new top tier yesterday, called the USL Premier. It’s scheduled to launch in 2028, alongside the introduction of promotion and relegation.
- U.S. Soccer Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone (above) will be re-elected unopposed. She’s held the post since 2020.
- Aston Villa have finalised a deal to sign Douglas Luiz from Juventus. He’ll terminate a loan at Nottingham Forest, where he hasn’t featured much, to clear the way for a move to Villa Park.
- Winger Adama Traore, 30, is moving to West Ham United from Fulham. They need more muscle up front. A move to take Tottenham Hotspur backup goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, 22, on loan is also in the pipeline.
- FC Cincinnati are in for Liverpool goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek, 22. It’ll be a temporary switch to MLS if it happens initially but the transfer would include a permanent option.
Show Viz
Today is the day when the Champions League goes wild: one night, 18 matches played at once and an endless stream of permutations when it comes to qualifying for the last 16. CBS Sports is calling it ‘Matchday Mayhem’ and Adam Crafton interviewed the broadcaster’s pundit, Jamie Carragher, to get his take on the league phase’s last round.
Europe’s biggest clubs start every season with the intention of going deep into this competition, if not going all the way. It’s Catch-22 in the sense that progression in the Champions League can leave Arsenal, for instance, fighting on different fronts: bidding for their domestic title while vying for continental supremacy.
Arsenal, don’t forget, were booed from the field after their home defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday. Given how much of a fixation that particular trophy has become for manager Mikel Arteta, you might wonder if the strain of numerous European knockout fixtures is a complication he needs going forward (notwithstanding the fact his squad are seven from seven in the Champions League so far).
Does it make sense to concentrate primarily on one target? Mark Carey studied the data and found the answer to be ‘Yes’. As the graph above shows, contesting multiple cups does affect a team’s points tally in their own league, albeit in a small way. Perhaps it would be wise to pick a priority — but try telling that to a coach like Arteta.
Stats shut-off: Data break-up that sent analytics world into meltdown
Design: Eamonn Dalton; Photos: Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images
This may have passed some of you by, but football’s data community are in mourning. Why? The popular website fbref.com is no more.
Those TAFC readers who liked fbref will be sharing the pain. For those who know nothing about it: the resource was a hugely-detailed collection of stats, covering thousands of players and numerous leagues. More to the point, it was free (at a time when companies are charging more and more money for top-quality data analysis).
Fbref launched in 2018. Put simply, no publicly-available site had anything like the same depth, and those of us who find statistics interesting — it’s personal preference, I’m not suggesting you should — were in the habit of poring over it. But its data came from Stats Perform, the firm behind Opta, and out of the blue, that relationship has now ended.
A statement issued by Stats Perform claimed the people running fbref had breached the terms of the arrangement between them, saying: “It became clear Stats Perform needed to terminate the agreement.” It goes to show how sensitive firms are about these products — just as the outpouring of annoyance from fbref users shows how integral to life football data has become.
Around TAFC
- Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka is a cracking little player. He’s been described as “a wild boar” but unlike other icons in Naples, he goes under the radar. James Horncastle’s interview with him is ace, and James is right to say the 31-year-old Slovakia international midfielder deserves more recognition.
- English comedian and mega (long-suffering) Tottenham Hotspur fan Michael McIntyre has created an app allowing fans to rate the performances of footballers. It’s a bit like TripAdvisor. Tim Spiers had a funny blether with him.
- Ruben Amorim crashed out at Manchester United but the coach who replaced him at Sporting CP, Rui Borges, is flying. There are no airs or graces about Borges. He wears a £17 watch and he cut his teeth as an amateur. You’ll enjoy Art de Roche’s profile, with Sporting aiming for the Champions League knockouts later.
- Xabi Alonso is available, suddenly, and Liverpool’s season has been heavy going. So how safe is Arne Slot’s job? Find out on the latest episode of our podcast.
- Most clicked in Tuesday’s TAFC: Wrexham’s £19m striker talks.
Catch a match
Selected games (all 3pm ET/8pm UK time unless stated)
UEFA Champions League (all 3pm/8pm and TNT Sports in the UK): Arsenal vs Kairat; Benfica vs Real Madrid; Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham Hotspur; Liverpool vs Qarabag; Napoli vs Chelsea; Paris Saint-Germain vs Newcastle United — all Paramount+/ViX; Barcelona vs Copenhagen — Paramount+, DAZN; Manchester City vs Galatasaray — Paramount+; Borussia Dortmund vs Inter — CBS, Paramount+, Fubo, DAZN.
And finally…
It’s the dying seconds of a QSL Cup last-16 tie in Qatar. You’re Al Shamal and it’s nil-nil against Al Shahania. “Nothing stupid now, lads,” you say — and then your goalkeeper, Oumar Barry, decides to do this, above. Not one for the career highlights reel.
