This Mad, Mad World of Football – Curiosities, Politics, and the Knights of the 2026 World Cup
A whole week has passed since the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, and passions are still running high. They revolve not only around the football, but also around our entire planet. But it's all happening in an interesting way, just like in that old but very funny Stanley Kramer comedy, which is very relevant to our topic, called "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."
Immediately after the World Cup, the FBI, the US's primary domestic security, counterintelligence, and law enforcement agency, detained Claudio Tapia, head of the Argentine Football Federation, at New York Airport on suspicion of laundering $300 million.
Spanish footballer Olmo, who was punched by his Argentine coach immediately after the final match, refused to accept Roberto Ayala's belated apologies and regrets, claiming that he was a liar.
In response to criticism of the Argentine national team, Argentine President Javier Miley posted on social media wearing a national team jersey with the slogan "Long live Argentina, damn it!"
The International Olympic Committee has declined to open an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino's alleged impropriety in reviewing the suspension of a US national team player. Instead, Trump is proposing to nominate Infantino for an important post – UN Secretary-General – instead of an investigation.
While the White House occupant hasn't previously been known for his passion for soccer, he apparently developed a love for the game during the World Cup. He even proposed hosting the tournament in the United States. But without Canada and Mexico! "We'll do without them! We'll elect ourselves, and next time we'll invite someone else!" Trump declared. He added that "Infantino has already approved of this idea and proposed hosting the next World Cup in the United States and China."
I wonder how Trump will manage this when, in his quest to establish global peace, he provokes new conflicts everywhere? It's high time he offered to hold the upcoming World Cup in three countries simultaneously – the United States, China, and Russia – canceling the countries already scheduled to host the tournament, in defiance of football laws (it wouldn't be the first time he's broken them).
And Trump would receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which he lost interest in immediately after being denied. Then, by replacing the bombing of foreign cities with battles on the football field, peace might be established around the ball and our planet.
World Cup Oddities and More...
The recently concluded World Cup left behind not only heated debates about refereeing criteria, but also a considerable amount of pure, bright emotions that reminded humanity of the primordial essence of football as a great celebration.
The fields of the USA, Canada, and Mexico featured not only pragmatic "chess with living pieces" but also genuine sporting miracles that left the entire world first stunned and then genuinely smiling.
The main and most resounding sensation of the tournament was, without a doubt, the epic performance of the modest Cape Verde team. The islanders not only took points from the giants, but also gave the world one of the most touching oddities of the group stage, when their forty-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who has a poor command of foreign languages, failed to understand the referee's English instructions and shook the referee's hand with great gratitude after the referee awarded a free kick... in his own goal.
This good-natured scene instantly went viral on social media, turning the veteran African footballer into a global fan favorite and proving that vulnerable sincerity on the field can disarm even the strictest referee.
Another hilarious incident occurred during a match involving the South Korean national team. Their midfielder, celebrating a goal, ran over to hug an American television cameraman in a fit of emotion and accidentally snatched an expensive camera from his hands. For thirty seconds, a global audience of millions watched the Koreans' jubilation from the inside of the team. Technically, the player should have been penalized for such an intervention, but FIFA sympathetically stated that no cards would be issued for such a display of pure joy.
...World football history is rich in such bizarre and humorous incidents, which have strangely paralleled the events of this year's World Cup.
At the 2026 World Cup, the most goal-rich match was between England and France. Just ten goals were scored, with the score 6-4. But this result is a far cry from the Guinness Book of World Records, where the phenomenal score of 149-0 holds a firm place. That's exactly how many goals the Adema team managed to score in their match against Stade Olympique de l'Émyrne in the Madagascar Championship. Moreover, all 149 goals were scored into... their own goal.
This was the losing team's protest against biased refereeing in the previous game. A simple calculation shows that the players scored a ball into their own net every 36 seconds. This "self-record" is unlikely to be broken in the coming centuries!
Offside: When Fear Overpowers Rules
History knows of more dramatic examples where an on-field anomaly concealed a real human tragedy. At the 1974 World Cup, when the African Continent had yet to establish itself as a promising footballing resource base, Zaire defender Ilunga Mwepu, during a match against Brazil, unexpectedly ran out from behind the wall before the referee's whistle and sent the ball with all his might into the far outfield, which the Brazilians had set up for a free kick.
The whole world laughed at how primitive African footballers were – they didn't even know the basic rules of the game. Only years later did it become clear that this anomaly concealed a cruel drama connected with a threat from Mobutu, the dictator of Zaire. He declared that he would sentence the players to the "death penalty" (!) in the event of a major defeat by Brazil. Before this, the Zaireans lost to the Scots (0:2) and suffered a crushing defeat to Yugoslavia (0:9).
The dictator flew into an indescribable rage. His personal security guards conveyed a verbal message to the team, stating that if Zaire lost the final match (against Brazil) by four or more goals, the players would not be allowed to return to their families. To make matters worse, harsher language was used in conversations, such as the players' "graves have already been dug" in the event of a major defeat.
It seems that the threat was not an outright execution, but a dire hint, which, under the tyranny, the players perceived as a real danger. Ilunga Mwepu, a player on that team, later confirmed that the team received a message along the lines of: "If you concede more than three goals to Brazil, you will never see Zaire or your families again." Therefore, the players were seriously concerned about the consequences.
And so, in the match against Brazil, in the 78th minute, with the score 2-0 in favor of the opponent, Ilunga ran out of the wall and kicked the ball away from the Brazilians, which was supposed to be the kickoff. He was simply afraid that the Brazilians would score a fourth goal, and the dictator's threat would be realized. So he tried his best to stall for time.
The Brazilians, unaware of the full circumstances, still scored a third goal. But they didn't manage to score a fourth before the end of the game. So the Zaire footballers, having lost with a score of 3:0, returned home happy. But the spiteful Mobutu still gave them a stunning dressing down. Although he didn't execute them. He probably hoped that with the success of the Zaire team, which was making its first World Cup appearance, he could bolster his shaky authority.
It Couldn't Be Funnier
...Any footballer who scores four goals in a single game is automatically considered the hero of the match. But not Aston Villa's Chris Nicholl, who actually scored all four goals in the match against Leicester City.
His teammates criticized him, while his opponents praised him. And all because he scored two goals against Leicester City and exactly the same number against himself – while trying to defend them, he deflected the balls into his own net. The match ended 2-2. And all the goals were scored by the unfortunate Chris Nicholl.
It turns out that even scoring four goals in a single game can make you an antihero.
His teammates criticized him, while his opponents praised him. This was all because he scored two goals against Leicester City and the same number against himself—he deflected the balls into his own net while trying to defend them. The match ended 2-2. And all the goals were scored by the unfortunate Chris Nicholl.
Strict referees are a separate issue. At the current World Cup, according to updated regulations, players' attempts to swear, even while covering their mouths with their hands or shirts, were strictly punished. In the Paraguay-Turkey match, Paraguayan midfielder Miguel Almirón covered his mouth with his hand during an emotional argument. After reviewing the VAR, the El Salvadoran referee showed him a straight red card. Almirón became the first player in history to be sent off for such a maneuver.
However, history also knows of counterexamples of referees displaying unexpected self-criticism. There are at least two known cases where referees, realizing their inability to control their emotions on the field, showed a red card... to themselves and dejectedly left the field to avoid escalating conflict with the players!
But the funniest cases are when teams deliberately ruin their own results to face a weaker opponent from a neighboring group. This happens when both teams in a group are fighting for first place, only to discover in the end that a strong opponent from the other group has dropped to second place. Then each team begins deliberately scoring goals against itself to secure second place and avoid the strong opponent. At the same time, they defend the opponent's goal so that (who knows?) they don't score themselves.
It was precisely these strange rules that forced the Barbados and Grenada teams to play against themselves at the 1994 Caribbean Cup. The "oddity" of the rules was that there could be no draws in the playoffs, and a goal scored in extra time counted as two.
It was precisely these strange rules that forced the Barbados and Grenada teams to play against each other at the 1994 Caribbean Cup. The "oddity" of the rules was that there could be no draws in the playoffs, and a goal scored in extra time counted as two goals.
Barbados needed a win by at least two goals to advance to the next stage. By the end of the match, the score was 2-1 in Barbados' favor, but it was clearly not enough. Then the Barbadians, with no time left to score another goal, came up with a clever maneuver.
They decided to slam the ball into their own net to make the score 2-2 and force extra time. There, they would have more time to score a single goal, which would count as two goals! Thanks to this, the Barbadian team could have advanced unopposed to the next stage.
They decided to score an own goal to make the score 2-2 and force extra time. There, they would have more time to score a single goal, which would count as two goals! This would allow the Barbados team to advance unopposed to the next stage.
The Grenada players immediately figured out the plan: they only needed to score on any goal (either their own or the opponent's) to lose 2-3 and advance on goal difference! The final minutes of the match turned into a farce: the Barbadians defended both their own and the opponent's goals from Grenadian attacks. Ultimately, Barbados held on for a draw, sent the game into overtime, scored a golden goal, and won 4-2. After this incident, the absurd "double goal" rule was abolished forever.
Are There Any Knights of the Round Ball Today?
And yet, the true greatness of football and its ability to generate powerful visceral support for millions of people is revealed through the noble, gentlemanly acts that were recorded on the fields of the 2026 World Cup, deserving the highest praise.
In the arduous semifinal match between Spain and France, when the young Spanish prodigy Yamal lay on the pitch in the dying minutes after receiving a painful blow to his legs, French captain Mbappé acted like a true knight of sport.
Instead of continuing his desperate assault on the opponent's goal and saving his team from defeat, Mbappé deliberately threw the ball over the touchline, thereby stopping the game. Then he approached young Yamal, helped him up, and personally ensured that the medical staff provided assistance to the team leader and future finalist, to whom the French, led by the noble Mbappé, nevertheless lost in the game for a place in the final.
This wonderful gesture from the outstanding footballer instantly calmed the rowdy stands at the Texas stadium, replacing the furious boos with deafening applause of respect for the French striker.
...This gentlemanly example reminded me of a remarkable act by a Soviet footballer at the 1962 World Cup. During the decisive match against Uruguay, with the score tied 1-1, USSR striker Igor Chislenko struck the ball so powerfully that it tore through the outside of the side netting and flew into the goal.
The referee (who, as we know, is always right) allowed the goal. It would seem that success was worth celebrating, but the legendary captain of the Soviet national team, Igor Netto, approached the referee and honestly explained how the ball ended up in the Uruguayan goal. And then the referee overturned the erroneously awarded goal.
None of the Soviet footballers blamed their captain. Despite the fact that the USSR team's progression to the next stage depended on the result of this match, everyone continued to persistently attack the opponent's goal to win in a fair, open fight.
And justice prevailed – Valentin Ivanov scored the winning goal in the final minute. This allowed the Soviet team to earn a place in the quarterfinals.
Such beautiful and instructive stories of true sporting nobility are worthy of emulation. Cultivating examples of high sporting honor proves that human dignity and respect for one's opponent are worth a lot. And thank God, history does not forget such remarkable deeds.
Let the emerald turf of the planet's stadiums remain sacred spaces where the best teams on Earth, in noble rivalries, write new pages of sporting history, making the hearts of true fans skip a beat, and where boys, inspired by their idols, learn not only to win, but also to remain human under any circumstances.
Bekdurdy AMANSARYEV
