Biggest country may not have the biggest heart

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION seems to be making every possible attempt to keep the world out of the FIFA World Cup.

- Tushar Bhaduri

Entry bans on several countries, not allowing the Iranian team a training base and turning away a referee from the airport — these are not examples of great hospitality.

Not that any of this was totally unexpected. The trajectory and priorities of the present dispensation in Washington are based on a virulent suspicion of the ‘outsider’; resulting in the usage of terms such as ‘garbage’ and ‘hellhole’ for countries, making every attempt to keep those it considers undesirable on the other side of the border.

The activities of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, who have basically been given a free hand by Trump to look for ‘illegals’ in the country, have spread terror among a large section of the population, including some who have been living in the US for decades. It has been categorically said that stadiums are not out of bounds for immigration raids.

The previous edition of the World Cup in Qatar also had its detractors, alleging human rights abuse, the plight of migrant labourers, and LGBTQ-unfriendly laws.

But while protesting voices were loud and varied four years ago, there seems to be muted acceptance this time round, with even the aggrieved parties going with the flow after a shrug and a perfunctory comment.