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The World Cup has entered its final week, and so far we’ve seen unprecedented levels of direct political interference in the organization of the tournament.

The FIFA president Gianni Infantino gave his ally Donald Trump a blank check to exclude anyone he liked from the US, even referees. Trump himself notoriously weighed in after a US player received a red card before their game against Belgium; FIFA agreed to cancel the player’s suspension as a favor to the US president.

To discuss the politics of the World Cup, Long Reads is joined by David Goldblatt. David is one of the leading historians of the sport. His books include The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Football, The Age of Football: The Global Game in the Twenty-First Century, and, most recently, Injury Time: Football in a State of Emergency.

This interview was conducted Tuesday, July 14th, before the semi finals between France and Spain and between Argentina and England.

Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies with music by Knxwledge.