The World Cup’s two competing realities: brilliant action and off-field injustices | Jonathan Wilson

All of the critiques of this tournament have proven valid and warranted, even as the action on the pitch has delighted us

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The football has taken over. Ultimately, that’s what always happens. Football is an incredibly resilient sport, the World Cup an incredibly resilient tournament. It has withstood authoritarian leaders and corruption scandals, the horrific exploitation of migrant workers and military dictatorships, and it looks as though it will survive sky-high ticket prices and immigration policies that make a mockery of Gianni Infantino’s claim that this is the most inclusive World Cup of all time.

This is not to say that those are not major issues. The situation with Iran has been unique, but the treatment of the team has been outrageous. That they could pass through the tournament unbeaten, eliminated only because of a last-gasp Austria goal against Algeria, is remarkable enough in itself, but they could surely have achieved far more had they not had to switch training camps, been allowed their full backroom staff and been able to travel to games without punitive restrictions.

This is an extract from Soccer Desk: World Cup edition, a newsletter from the Guardian US that will run regularly during the tournament. Subscribe for free here.

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