Ten Thoughts on the World Cup
I’ve got some longer more political pieces to write, but who can resist the World Cup. So what follows are just ten random observations.
1 I am super impressed with Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham. Both very talented players who actually seem like nice people. The fact they are friends is the cherry on the cake.
2 Is it just me or does Gianni Infantino look (and often act) like a James Bond Villain?
3 But if Gianni Infantino is a Bond villain, it has been pointed out that Harry Kane looks like the guy who would be played by James Spader in a John Hughes film.
4 This isn’t helped by Kane’s fanboy response to playing golf with Trump:
So when the president invites you somewhere, it was a pretty surreal experience just to meet him and obviously play golf with him….His golf is pretty good, to be honest with you. I hope I can play golf as good as him when I’m his age, that’s for sure. A unique experience, but I was just grateful that he invited me to play.”
Yeah. You can just say no. Plenty of others have.
5 And speaking of Trump, I actually agree with this. I mean, it’ll never happen, but still.
“When you look at what’s happened to football in the United States, soccer in the United States. We seem to never call it that (football) because we have a conflict with another thing that’s called football. But when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called? This is football, there is no question about it. We have to come up with another name for the NFL stuff.”
6 And on that note, isn’t the World Cup getting more like American football? Longer games, breaks, more teams, tech and stats dominate, and now a half time show? A half time show featuring such cutting edge performers as Justin Bieber, Madonna (who like me was alive for England’s World Cup victory in 1966), Shakira, BTS (OK, I’ll give you that one), fucking Coldplay and characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets. FFS
7 I’ve watched the World Cup on TSN in Canada, and although the commentators are often British, so far the rhetoric about 1966 has been minimal. 1966 of course being the only time England won the cup, before any of the current players or their coach were born. I believe only one player on the team, Geoff Hurst, is still alive. But if England beat Argentine tomorrow, just wait.
8 Having said that, if I can get through tomorrow’s England vs. Argentina game without hearing repeated references to the “hand of God,” the Falklands War or the phrase Argy-Bargy (which has nothing to do with Argentina), I’ll be both happy and pleasantly surprised.
9 I hear there are plans to expand the next World Cup (to be held in Spain, Portugal and morocco) to 64 countries…Why not just expand it to 194? I’m sure FIFA could make even more money.
10 And lastly FIFA itself. Bad calls happen all the time. Every week. It’s the nature of any sport. Are these human error or corruption? I’d like to think it’s the former, but FIFA isn’t making it easy. Let’s look again at the Balogun incident. I noted previously I don’t think it was a red card, but what does FIFA do? Trump and other US officials lobby Infantino who insists that FIFA’s 18 person Disciplinary Committee handles these matters. As it turns out, Balogun’s punishment for the red card is suspended by a single member of the committee Mohammad al-Kamali, the United Arab Emirates representative. It goes without saying that the Trump family has extensive business dealings with the UAE. Now, conspiracy theory is a lot of conspiracy and not too much theory, but when an England player is sent off for a really nasty foul and receives, not a suspended sentence by a two game suspension, it looks bad. Questionable calls against Belgium and Egypt, and Norway (the first two of which helped Argentina, the latter England) don’t help to convince people there’s nothing going on behind the scenes. Now after every game, you’ll hear “fixed,” “robbed” “stolen.” The legitimacy of the competition seems now in question. FIFA have no one to blame but themselves.
Back to politics.
Notes on the World Cup and FIFA
AKA Capitalism ruins Everything.
Like pretty much every kid growing up in England, I was a football fan. I wasn’t particularly good at sports, but I liked playing knockabout games with my friends and PE at school. I followed a number of teams over the years, including Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and maybe Stoke City (?) It’s been a while.
When I moved to Canada in the early eighties, football was one of the things I chose to abandon, but when the big football championships rolled around, I paid attention. People would ask me who I was supporting in the World Cup, and I always replied, “England, but it isn’t a big commitment.” I didn’t watch many of the group games this year, but I watched a lot of the Round of 32 and round of 16 games. A few thoughts then.
It is the beautiful game. England vs. Mexico was thrilling football, and not just because England won. Likewise, the Belgium vs. USA game, albeit for a different reason (see below). It was fantastic too to see tiny nations like Cabo Verde give the “big boys” a run for their money. The cliche about football when I was a kid was that in working class communities, there were three ways to escape the factory – if you were smart you might get an academic scholarship; if you were musically talented, you might become a pop star; if you were athletic, you might get to play professional football. Of course, that’s a huge oversimplification, but like many cliches, it has elements of truth.
But there’s also the ugly side which following a team or nation can involve. A brutal tribalism. Orwell noted in The Sporting Spirit :
“Nearly all the sports practised nowadays are competitive. You play to win, and the game has little meaning unless you do your utmost to win. On the village green, where you pick up sides and no feeling of local patriotism is involved, it is possible to play simply for the fun and exercise: but as soon as the question of prestige arises, as soon as you feel that you and some larger unit will be disgraced if you lose, the most savage combative instincts are aroused. Anyone who has played even in a school football match knows this. At the international level sport is frankly mimic warfare. But the significant thing is not the behaviour of the players but the attitude of the spectators: and, behind the spectators, of the nations who work themselves into furies over these absurd contests, and seriously believe – at any rate for short periods – that running, jumping and kicking a ball are tests of national virtue.”
We saw this in the case of Mexican fans who set off fireworks, honked car horns, and flew drones near the hotels of opposing teams to prevent players from resting. The homophobic chants of “puto” whenever a keeper took a goal kick.We saw absolutely horrific racist moments directed against people of colour. The former Paraguayan goalkeepers who opined his team was not playing France, it was playing Africa, and the unfiltered racism of a Paraguayan senator against French player Kylian Mbappé. And so on, it should be noted that many of these antics reflect the behaviour of small but vocal groups and not national characteristics (England’s fans have a justified rep as being awful) but their persistence, rooted in “our team” is troubling. A final thought is that the captains of Cabo Verde and Morocco, and a Ghanaian player are all facing sexual assault charges (the Ghanaian, Thomas Partey, is facing seven charges) It’s hard to say how widespread these occurrences are, but three leading players are still playing the game and representing their countries despite the seriousness of the charges. Troubling seems too mild.
But aside from the game, aside from the players’ conduct off of the pitch, aside from the fans, football is about money. It’s big business, and where there’s money to be made, there’s money to be had. This year’s world cup saw the introduction of hydration breaks (one in each half). Now, it’s been hot in North America (not as hot as Qatar), and no one wants to see players collapsing from heat stroke. Staying hydrated is absolutely important, yet it’s hard not to wonder if the real reason is that it gives TV broadcasters time to run more commercials. Similarly the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams. The argument was made that this has allowed the smaller countries who don’t usually get in to compete (though Italy still missed the cut), but if you look at the final 8, it’s the usual, mostly European, suspects.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association has long enjoyed a reputation for partisanship, bribes, and favouritism. Whether FIFA is the most corrupt sporting organization ever is debatable, but it’s surely a contender. How exactly did Qatar get to host a World Cup in 2022…well there are theories.
But two recent incidents stand out for me for this year’s cup.
First, the controversy over Folarin Balogun’s red card playing for the USA against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Was it a red card? Personally, I don’t think so, and Balogun himself felt it was probably a yellow. Bad calls are made all the time in sport, but this meant that the US would have been without their star striker. Cue Donald Trump. At a press conference after the game, Trump boasted how much he knew about the game (but also admitted he didn’t know what a red card was, even though he was shown in 2018), and then proceeded to demonstrate how little he actually knew, which didn’t stop him from contacting FIFA head Gianni Infantino (you know the guy who created the FIFA Peace Prize for Trump) to “ask” if the decision could be reviewed. In a decision that surprised no one, FIFA suspended the one-game band and Balogun got to play. As it turned out, it didn’t matter.The US played a terrible game, including the worst goalkeeping mistake I’ve ever seen at this level, and were defeated by Belgium 4-1. But by making this change (and a slightly different one earlier so Christian Ronaldo could play), FIFA lent credibility to the belief that it would bend to the rich and powerful nations and that rules really didn’t matter too much. The lasting impact may be everything is now up for debate, and for challenge. I saw several comments that the replay would be held later this week, although the Belgian team’s tweet, “Overturn this” was a pretty good comeback.
The second incident was the Argentina vs Egypt game. the joke here was people were saying that although the game wasn’t necessarily stolen, it is now on display in the British museum. A number of questionable events took place including disallowing an Egyptian goal because of a foul that took place several minutes earlier at the other end of the pitch, ignoring several blatant fouls by Argentine players (including ones much worse that Balogun’s), and making VAR decisions that always benefited Argentina. Was it that defending champion Argentina losing would have meant lower ratings for future games? Was it because this is golden boy Lionel Messi’s final championship (he’s 39 – look how much Ronaldo, who is 41 has slowed). Who knows? Can it be proven that the game was, if not rigged, then at least punted in Argentina’s direction? No, although if you look at Argentina’s path, it’s a lot easier than the nations.
I’ll say again. It is the beautiful game. But it is a game that is consistently warped and debased by the powerful organizations that swirl around it. It is the conversion of a game into a commodity to be bought and sold. This is not new, but it still hurts to see.
The France vs. Morocco game begins in a few hours. (Stay tuned for updates to this post)
Day of Rage..?
I’m retiring in a couple of weeks, and I don’t think I’m letting the cat out of the bag when I say that I’ve been a high school teacher for the last thirty years.
The union to which I belong is the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers Federation, and of the three major teachers unions in Ontario, it has a reputation for being the second most militant. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario is probably the most militant (wouldn’t you be if you had to deal with small children all day), and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association are always the first to break ranks on any strike and get a deal for themselves (OECTA covers both elementary and secondary teachers in the Catholic Boards in Ontario).
Despite any perceived militancy though, they all ultimately function the same way. I occasionally go to union meetings at my school (especially if it’s at lunch time and there’s pizza), but anytime I asked a question there is one of two answers: Either the rep doesn’t know and promises to get back to me (rarely do they) or yes, you have to do that because it’s in the contract. Uh, huh.
Still, the funny thing about the union is the number of former leftists (usually Trotskyists, but not always), in positions of influence (rarely as actual leaders, but as brainstrusters) who having abandoned their former ideologies still draw on its history. OSSFT often uses black and red in anarcho-syndicalist styles, and occasionally you hear the old class struggle rhetoric.
So it amused me when a few days back I got an email about the upcoming Day of Rage. Now, for anyone with a memory of History or who watched One Battle After Another and was curious, the Days of Rage was a three day action in Chicago in 1969 to “Bring the War Home” organized by the Weathermen faction of SDS. Weathermen leader John Jacobs said during the event, “We don’t really have to win here … just the fact that we are willing to fight the police is a political victory.” Uh huh. Two months later, the faction went underground.
It seems impossible that the people in OSSTF would be unaware of the previous use of the slogan. OSSFT’s proposed actions however are more modest: Dress in black; send an email to the premier and the Minister of Education; carry a sign.
Once as tragedy, twice as farce.
The Return of the P.O.U.M?
Is it just my imagination or is there a swell or interest in the Workers Party of Marxist unification? Several studies have appeared and it feels like only a matter of time before the Jacobin features a longer article than the profile of Andreas Nin from a few years back.
I’ll admit my own knowledge is little deeper than the accepted Trotskist position of condemnation of the POUM for its origins and joining the Popular front. I didn’t know though that the party lasted until 1980, albeit underground for much of its existence.
You heard it here first.
A Brief Note on Decadence
When I did a quick internet search for a definition of decadence, those helpful AI bots came up with this one:
Decadence refers to a state of moral or cultural decline, often characterized by excessive self-indulgence, luxury, and a departure from traditional values. The term originates from the Latin word decadere, meaning “to fall”, and can apply to anything from societal decay to incredibly rich desserts
Fair enough.
The Communist Left historically has used the term to refer to the period of capitalism where growth is replaced by war and revolution as capitalism cannibalizes itself. This argument could, in its cruder applications, lead into a periodization where capitalism was ascendance and despite the horror it brought, also played a revolutionary or progressive role, and a decadent phrase where all that was left was the horror.
For many, the demarcation point was the outbreak of World War I in 1914. And looking at the history of the twentieth century, it might be hard to disagree: World Wars, seemingly endless regional conflicts, poverty, starvation, genocide and environmental disasters and much much more. And at the same time, the potential for a much better world.
Looking at the events of the twenty-first in the U.S. we wonder if this is an end? The U.S. has been the premier capitalist nation for a century. It emerged from World War I stronger than the faltering British Empire, and cemented its position by the end of World War II. Economically and politically it dominated the globe for the rest of the century.
But in the twenty-first century, challenges from China and other trading blocs, and a crisis within the American ruling class might lead observers to wonder if the sun has set on America. Obama’s “Yes We Can” and Biden’s seeming return to normal after the first Trump term, in the second Trump term, seem like aberrations.
I don’t believe America is a fascist country, but the venality and corruption of the Trump regime (which tests the limits of authoritarianism within an American context) certainly pushes in that direction. As Trump declines further, physically and mentally, and the Democrats appear to gain strength, the leader-cult, the looting of the treasury, and the collapse of public services will only increase. and I have little doubt that Trump and his sycophants would sooner burn it all down than lose control.
Socialism or barbarism? While it looks more like the latter, I remain optimistic for the former.
Internationalist Perspective: “Yes, It’s War.”
New article on the International Perspective site , “Yes, It’s War.” . Interesting piece on the nature of imperialist war, and criticizing those same powers who argue it is genocide not war. The English teacher in me however, notes that the way IP structures its argument might suggest to a casual IP thinks the conflict in Gaza is not genocidal, until about halfway through the article when it notes the genocidal nature of Israel’s actions. But perhaps i’m being picky. Well worth reading though.
also in an earlier issue of IP, Internationalist Perspective 36 (Winter 2000), this point s taken up in two articles “The Normality of Wars and Genocides” and ‘Capitalism and Genocide” which are worth re-reading.
Notes from Underground.
Aside from this morning’s post about May Day, I haven’t posted anything since the start of the year. But maybe that’s going to change.
I started this blog almost twenty years ago after joining Internationalist Perspective and winding up my previous project, Red & Black notes. I left IP in 2021, and sort of drifted. Posts became less frequent, and there were several long periods where I didn’t post anything (the only thing I generally managed to get out was the monthly Music Notes post. Other things just seemed to get in the way.
But what’s that adage? If you’re not a communist by the time you’re 20, you have no heart, and if you’re still a communist by the time you’re 30, you have no brains. Well, I’m 62 this year, and I’ll be retiring at the end of June.
For a while, I have been planning to re-launch this blog in July, but I got up this morning and though May Day seems as good a day as any, and symbolically, better than most. So, call this a soft re-launch.
See ya soon.
International Workers Day 2026
The Manifesto of the Communist Party was published in 1848, almost 180 years ago. While the world is a very different place from when Marx and Engels penned this text, the issues remain. And so does the solution.
We still have nothing to lose but our chains. Workers of all countries unite.
Re-Arranging the Deckchairs on the Titanic
I was a member of the New Democratic Party in Canada from 1983 until 1988. In the lead up to an election, my friends and I often joked that NDP stood for No Damn Principles as pseudo-leftist measures passed at party conventions were quietly and quickly shelved as the party tried to win seats. After the election, which was inevitably lost, we laughed, Nearly Dead Party.
In the 2021 Canadian Federal election, the NDP won 25 seats and came in fourth, behind the Liberals, Conservatives, and the Bloc Quebecois. Two years later, under Jagmeet Singh’s leadership, the party struck a deal to suport the minority Liberals in exchange for certain pieces of legislation. By 2025, the deal had soured considerably, and the NDP saw its popularity declining as did the Liberals. But a quick change of leaders by the Liberals and a snap election showed how the political landscape was also changing. The NDP began the campaign with 24 seats, but after the dust had settled, it had been reduced to 7 seats and lost party status. Singh lost his seat and resigned as leader. And so it began.
In two months time, the NDP will choose a new leader, and here are the options.
- Rob Ashton – Presdient of the longshoremen’s union in BC and endorsed by the United Steelworkers of America
- Tanille Johnson – City councillor from BC and the first indigenous woman to run for NDP leadership
- Avi Lewis – filmmaker and son of former ONDP leader Stephen Lewis (also married to Naomi Klein)
- Heather McPherson – MP from Edmonton and favourite to win.
- Tony McQuail – Former candidate at both the provincial and federal level who advocates a popular front “progressive” bloc.
The NDP’s Socialist Caucus put up Montreal activist Yves Engler, whom the leadership committee quickly disqualified. Activist and writer Bianca Mugyenyi then put her name into the hat, but she was also rejected by the committee who argued that as she was married to Engler, this would merely be a proxy campaign for him. (This likely leaves the SC and its Trotskyist leaders from Socialist Action to propose resolutions which will not be voted upon and then quietly support Avi Lewis)
In the last election, the NDP lost to both the right and to the centre. The faux-populism of Pierre Poilievre and a general dislike of the Trudeau Liberals saw some NDP supporters endorse the Conservatives. Meanwhile “progressives” who feared Trump’s aggressive talk of Canada joining the US along with the growing popularity of the Conservative switched support to the Liberals, who were to come with striking range of a majority.
The replacement of the ineffectual Jagmeet Singh with a leader who may prove to be more or less competent than him will not change this context. And to be clear, I’m not a supporter of some of the various factions of Trotskyists who argue that with a return to “real socialism,” the NDP can be transformed into a socialist party or can at least play a role in a future struggle; any role it will play will be a negative one, and those arguing for such a strategy seem to have the same delusions as their co-thinkers trying the same idea with the ridiculously named Your Party in the UK.
Class struggle and social explosions though will not disappear. But for now, it is just rearranging those chairs.
Music Notes: January 2026
Haven’t done one of these in a while, but here we are.
- The Ichi Bons
I first saw the Ichi Bons opening for the Damned a few years back. Great show – fifties style rock and roll, but sounding surprisingly fresh. Saw them headlining at the Horseshoe last September and they were dynamite. Great set, and effortlessly cool. A favourite part was the drummer combing his hair between songs. They’re playing the Monarch tavern on February 21. If you aren’t in Toronto, check out their Bandcamp page which has all their singles and some live stuff. - The Wasagas
Discovered the Wasagas last year when they opened for the Courettes. Amazing show along with Starlotte Satine. The Wasagas are Canada’s original surf punks. they’ve released five albums of great surf sounds; the latest is Knock me out. Really fun live band and singer guitarist Mark Malibu is a really great guy. The Wasagas are playing the Pilot, sadly the same night as the Ichi Bons show, but whichever you’re able to make, it’ll be swell. - Stiff Little Fingers – Inflammable Material (Deluxe edition)
About a month before I moved to Canada, I saw Stiff Little Fingers at the Oxford New Theatre. I was 16, I was right at the front, and it was one of the great moments of my life. Inflammable Material is one of the great punk records. Burning with anger and amazing songs. I think I knew every word. There’s a five disc book-bound set out with the original album, Peel sessions, demos, a live set, and a DVD with great info and a lot of pictures I hadn’t seen before. A bit pricey, but whatcha gonna do? - Wednesday – Bleeds
Wednesday remind me a little of Big Thief in their folky-country songs, and I dunno, Dinosaur Jr. (OK, no) when they’re thrashing out. And that doesn’t mean I think they aren’t original. They absolutely are. And if you’re like me, and just discovering them, Bleed is their sixth album. Homework to do. - Superchunk – Misfits & Mistakes: Singles, B-Sides & Strays 2007–2023
Superchunk have been around since 1989, and they are still amazing. This 2 CD compilation from 2023 has dozens of live cuts, covers, B-sides and other rare tracks. Normally these things are just for collectors, but Superchunk is such a great punk rock band, it’s for everyone. - John Fogerty – Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years
Ah, you already know all of these songs. But we all like to hear different versions of classics – even if it’s a crap shoot as to whether or not they should have been re-recorded in the first place. I liked it, but if you don’t, that’s cool. Worth a listen to make up your own mind though. - Various artists – Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them
Now here’s a curio. Came across this in a box of CDs in the basement last week. a 23 song covers compilation of Shonen Knife assembled by the brothers from Redd Kross long before Shonen Knife were well known outside of Japan. Covers by L7, Sonic Youth, Das Damen, Big Dipper, and many more. Sure, they’re not as good as the originals, but genuinely interesting. - Whip Appeal
I heard one of Whip Appeal’s songs (“No Cowboys in Texas” from their album Shimmering Seed) on an Uncut compilation and I was hooked. Slopped drunk indie country – if the Geraldine Fibbers and Mouldy Peaches had a baby, it still might not be as good as this. - Kenny Morris
Not the original Siouxsie and the Banshees drummer (that would be Sid Vicious), Kenny Morris created the incredible drum sound on The Scream. He played on their second album Join Hands and then left the band with John McKay. Morris kept working in music, but also in film. A tremendous talent who influenced Joy Division, Bauhaus and Massive Attack among others. sorely missed. - 1976.
Fifty years since punk began (let’s not argue that it was actually 1975,, 73, 68, 62 or whatever). The first British punk single, “New Rose” was issued in 76, and the Sex Pistols “Anarchy in the UK” later the same year. On January 1, 1976, I was 11. But that year was the start of something. Lets’ see the memoirs, compilations and other nostalgia that appear this year.
Till next time.
Notes from Underground 