The World Cup and Violence

As people throw on their jerseys and stick flags on their cars to celebrate the Fifa World Cup, families all over the world are preparing for the worst.  

With the World Cup stirring people’s ambitions, energy, and drinking, danger follows. A well reported wave of incidents show aggressive fans taking to the streets to wreak havoc among their towns following the World Cup games. Three people dead in Mexico City during a celebration, fireworks thrown at police in the Netherlands, and 89 000 abusive posts littering social media. In fact, French officials have mandated a curfew for those under 16 as a result of the risk imposed by the World Cup. This is directly following the animalistic outbreak that occurred due to the PSG victory celebration in which 890 people were arrested and a man was killed. This is not a normal celebration of sports if you ask me, it’s an excuse for fans to behave wildly and violently.  

Look at England’s team, a fan favourite. Win or lose, after England World Cup games, domestic violence rates increase. When they lose it increases by 38%, and when they win it increases by 26%. At first glance that may not seem consequential, but that’s an extra 912 000 English abuse victims who will suffer from their team’s losses. An irritating fact of it is that this is so well researched but never acknowledged by the team itself. Their football association has donated large sums to women’s charities, but the players themselves have never sent out statements pertaining to the issue, even though it would not fall on deaf ears. This is not to shift blame onto the players themselves, but they have a moral responsibility to address the issue using their inflated celebrity influence.  

One matter I cannot forgive is the World Cup allowing players with a history of domestic violence to play matches. For example, Kingsley Coman was permitted to play for the French team in the 2022 Fifa World Cup even though he’d been convicted of domestic violence against the mother of his two children in 2017. The Fifa officials are well aware of the international increase in abuse rates due to their games, but still allow these men to get rich off their matches. The same circumstantial blindness occurs to them when faced with cases of sexual violence. Kaishu Sano, a player for the Japanese team, stood accused of gang rape to which he responded with a monetary settlement and an apology. This particular reply seems to be the male mantra as countless other players faced with rape accusation have slipped cheques for it to be silently dealt with. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo paid $375 000 in hush money to a woman he allegedly raped, is that what a woman’s dignity is worth?  

By giving these men a platform with which to get famous and rich, they are effectively forgiving their behaviour and contributing to the problem. Abusers and rapists, alleged or not, should be barred from playing. No exceptions. Achraf Hakimi, Thomas Partey, and Ryan Mendes have at least one sexual assault allegation currently underway and have still been permitted to play in the 2026 Fifa World Cup. Why are they allowed on the field if they can’t even stand next to the children during the national anthem?