Sports
Field of Dreams
For decades, African soccer has been caught between immense natural talent and broken systems of governance and funding. But a convergence of changes — new leadership, diaspora players returning to their roots, Morocco’s World Cup success and grassroots investment — could tip the continent into a golden era.
A Less Global World Cup
There are growing concerns that Trump’s immigration policies could prevent both players and fans from traveling to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and the 2026 World Cup, both to be hosted in the U.S., raising broader questions about access to major sporting events.
Mo Salah and the Myth of the Good Immigrant
Mohamed Salah’s superstardom helped reshape Liverpool’s identity, but amid a resurgent far right and rising racial tensions, his symbolic status reveals the impossible standards placed on minorities.
They Dreamed of Making It Big in Soccer. They Were Trafficked Instead
In West Africa, professional soccer holds out the hope of escape from poverty, unemployment and political instability. And each year, thousands of aspiring players are trafficked, paying money to fraudulent agents to attend tryouts that never existed.
Imane Khelif Has Been Caught in the Crossfire of a Dispute Over Who Controls Boxing
A recent press conference held by the International Boxing Association failed to justify its campaign on the gender eligibility of women fighters at the Olympics. But it did shine a spotlight on a chaotic, Russian-backed organization seeking to gain influence by making mischief, with Imane Khelif caught in the crossfire.
Imane Khelif’s Punch and the Culture Wars
In her home country of Algeria, the controversy around Imane Khelif’s gender has managed to rally the entirety of a nation whose multiethnic nature and sprawling and varied geography have long defied easy categorization.
Argentina’s Racism Problem
This is why Enzo Fernandez's video sparked so many political reactions. Since, supposedly, there are no Black people or racism in Argentina, no one felt the need to offer any explanation or apology. Worse still, most comments on social media did not even recognize racism in the song, viewing it merely as a “description” of the African heritage of French players — homophobia and transphobia were not mentioned at all — or just an example of “soccer folklore.”