Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Almost Real

The world’s problems lie just below the surface of the conviviality of the World Cup but that is one aspect that makes the global competition meaningful.

For example, as Morocco defeated the Netherlands yesterday, its team featured three Moroccan-Dutch players who grew up in the Netherlands but competed for the team of their parents, as opposed to that of their citizenship.

Racist comments on the Dutch side reported before the game suggested that those three were not good enough to play for the Netherlands team.

The Morroccans answered on the pitch, winning an exciting match on shootouts. 

Many of the athletes at the World Cup have roots in more than one country and somehow they have made the choice of which country to represent, which national anthem to sing, which fans to embrace.

It’s almost if they have to find a way to compete against themselves, at least partially, and in that there might be a lesson for all of us.

HEADLINES:

 

No comments: