No ICE in the Cup! - Poster of the Week
- politicalgraphics
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
SFA Don't Play Ball with the Fascists
Scottish Chile Defence Committee, Hampden Advertising (T.U.) Ltd.
Offset, 1977
Glasgow, Scotland
34008
No ICE in the Cup
Shaina Lu
Digital, 2026
Boston, MA
The FIFA World Cup kicked off this week and will host 48 teams over 104 matches across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, during what is arguably the tensest time globally in recent memory. The current political controversies and wars are not unlike the conditions over a century ago. Founded in 1904, the original mission of FIFA was to bring world peace through friendly competition and cultural exchange via the beloved game of soccer. The organization nearly collapsed during World War I (1914-1917). As players were conscripted to the front lines, international games became impossible. Following the war, FIFA faced further turmoil when the British Home Nations temporarily withdrew from the organization, refusing to participate in international competitions against their former WWI enemies.
The most iconic intersection of soccer and war occurred on December 25, 1914, when unofficial truces halted the fighting along parts of the Western Front. British and German soldiers exchanged gifts and played historic football matches in No Man’s Land. FIFA officially recognizes this event as a powerful testament to the game’s universal unifying power.
Despite the idealistic mission, FIFA World Cups, like the Olympics and many other events, are often subverted by “sportswashing” —when governments, corporations, or individuals use sport to improve their reputation by distracting or diverting attention away from activities considered to be controversial or unethical. Some notable examples:
CSPG’s Poster of the Week highlights the opposition to a 1977 “match of shame” between Scotland and Chile. The Scottish football team was on a tour of South America in 1977 with hopes to play in the 1978 World Cup. Their match against Chile stoked fury, as the stadium had been used as a torture and detention center during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. Between Pinochet’s bloody 1973 coup d’etat and 1977, Pinochet imprisoned 20,000-40,000 political prisoners in Chile’s national stadium. The changing rooms still had bullet holes and blood on the walls. A petition with 30,000 signatures was sent to the Scottish Football Association (SFA) urging Scotland not to play Chile, but the SFA ignored these pleas and the team was forced to play.
This year’s World Cup has already seen its fair share of controversies. Multiple soccer players from Iraq, Iran, and Haiti have been detained and questioned for hours upon arrival. Many supporting members of the Iraqi and Iranian teams were denied entry into the U.S. An award-winning Somali referee, Omar Artan, was also denied entry. All of Iran’s matches are in the U.S., but the team is being forced to stay in Mexico when they aren’t playing–all while the U.S. continues to bomb their country.
CSPG’s second Poster of the Week highlights concerns about heightened ICE presence at the stadiums. SoFi Stadium workers went on strike, and won most of their demands, including the right to strike if an immigration raid happens. FIFA has done nothing to take a stand in supporting those harmed and has raised ticket prices to exorbitant levels.
The World Cup can provide opportunities for uniting the world around the love of football, but it must not be used as an excuse to whitewash atrocities of nation states.
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