The Price of Betraying Palestine: Morocco Challenges Normalization with Israel

t is time for Morocco and others to reconsider their ties with Israel, as they risk political isolation and social instability, a far greater price to pay than the empty promises of Washington and Tel Aviv.

Ramzy Baroud
By Ramzy Baroud
Palestinians Morocco Feature photo

Two years ago, Morocco and Israel signed the US-brokered “Joint Declaration”, thus officially recognizing Israel and instating diplomatic ties. Though other Arab countries had already done the same, the Moroccan official recognition of Apartheid Israel was particularly devastating for Palestinians. Years ago, a close Moroccan friend told me that

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Citing US Sanctions, Nike Moves to Block Iran’s National Team From Using Their Shoes

The company is citing U.S. sanctions, but for the 2014 World Cup, it provided cleats for Iran’s national team despite sanctions.

teleSUR
By teleSUR
Iran's team poses for a team photo prior the international friendly soccer match between Iran and Uzbekistan at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran, Iran. May 19, 2018. Ebrahim Noroozi | AP

United States-based sport and clothing company Nike announced it will not provide cleats to Iran’s national team ahead of the 2018 World Cup, scheduled to begin on June 14, citing U.S. sanctions. “The sanctions mean that, as a U.S. company, we cannot provide shoes to players in the Iran national team at this time,” Nike said in a statement

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Things Get Messi After Argentina Cancels Soccer Match with Israel

Argentina’s cancellation of a match with Israel due to Israeli attempts to exploit it politically is likely to reverberate well beyond the world of soccer.

Dr. James M. Dorsey
By Dr. James M. Dorsey
Argentina's Lionel Messi walks on the pitch during a friendly soccer match between Argentina and Haiti in Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 29, 2018. Victor R. Caivano | AP

Argentina’s cancellation of a friendly against Israel because of Israeli attempts to exploit the match politically is likely to reverberate far beyond the world of soccer and spotlights the risks of Israeli efforts to persuade the international community to recognize Jerusalem as its capital. The Argentinian decision suggests that despite the fact

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The World Cup: What We’ve Been Missing

For some Americans, soccer has long been a spectator staple, but the rest of us are just getting started.

Norbert Schiller
By Norbert Schiller
world cup

It’s hard for me to imagine that just a few weeks ago the world’s attention was focused on Brazil and the 2014 World Cup. Even in war-torn countries like Iraq and Syria people gathered at cafes to watch the games. In the United States, where baseball normally rules this time of year, fans came out in droves to support “Team USA.” Fan zones were set

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Team USA Didn’t Take World Cup, But World Cup Took America

Americans unexpectedly caught soccer fever during this year’s World Cup, representing a desire to unite to celebrate national pride on an international stage — if only briefly.

Frederick Reese
By Frederick Reese
Austin Davies

Something weird happened during the United States’ run in this year’s World Cup. In practical terms, the U.S. team -- which was ranked 13th in the world according to FIFA, the international soccer governing body -- performed as expected, dropping out of the round-of-16 with a 2-1 defeat from Belgium. What wasn’t expected, however, was how

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Allegations Of Racism Add To Calls For Boycott Of Sports Events In Russia

Claims of racist chants from Russian fans could spell trouble for the country’s 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 World Cup.

Katie Rucke
By Katie Rucke

Discrimination against people of color and LGBT individuals may hurt Russia’s ability to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the Winter Olympic Games in 2014, especially as some athletes are saying they won’t play unless the country learns to accept diversity. This week soccer player Yaya Touré said he was subjected to racist chanting when his team

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