Jun 29, 2026 13:04 pm IST

FIFA Let Politics Win Over Football, Iran Paid The Price For Political Hypocrisy

Football's governing body has long sold itself as apolitical - like the IOC - an organisation above borders, above diplomacy, above conflict. But this World Cup has challenged that idea and changed perceptions about FIFA.

Rica Roy Rica Roy Sports Editor, NDTV 24x7

Rica Roy Sports Editor, NDTV 24x7

In Italian, a game in which both teams benefit from a particular result has a name in football: biscotto - literally, biscuit. Austria and Algeria knew exactly what was at stake in their final Group J game on Saturday. A draw would take both through. And that is exactly how it ended. Enough for both to survive. Enough for Iran to go home. But for Iran, the bitterness runs deeper than just scoreboard mathematics. Because this wasn't only about what happened on the pitch. It was also about everything around it. There is now growing noise in football circles over FIFA's apparent willingness to bend to U.S. hostility towards Iran - a tournament where Team Melli were never quite treated like every other nation.

"Whatever we say, it's nothing to do with politics. It's just the behavior shown toward us. We're only voicing this because we don't want such behavior to occur in the future for other teams," Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei had said ahead of his team's second group-stage game against Belgium.

This statement now feels a lot heavier. Because FIFA may........

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