By Hassen Lorgat
Trevor Noah seems to have gotten into some hot water. During one of his shows, he made comments that angered the elites in football’s controlling body — this time, the leadership of the game and the US government.
But this is not the first time that politics and sports have mixed for him. At the 2018 World Cup, he pointed out the obvious on The Daily Show when he said that “Africa won the World Cup.” He got pushback from French political leaders but stood firm:
“Black people all over the world were celebrating the African-ness of the French players… Not in a negative way, but rather in a positive way, going ‘look at these Africans who can become French.'”
FIFA 2026, USA, Mexico, Canada
Fast forward to 2026, hosting in three North American Countries (US, Canada and Mexico) and what Trevor Noah said seems light in comparison — and it should barely have caused a ripple…
Noah criticised the double standards of mainstream media when interviewing the dark horses — in the sporting sense — those good teams that come from the Global South: the African and Middle Eastern nations, particularly Iran at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Iran’s national football team, Team Melli was scheduled to stay and play all their matches in the USA but politics came in the way, and FIFA looked the other way.
One consistent criticism he faced is that these players represented Iran, with insinuations about the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the broader suppression of human rights by the regime. These talking points, as we will see, only appear to apply to Iranian players.
But this tradition of mocking power has deep roots in Sufi mysticism. Playing the fool has never been easy, and from time immemorial it could be deadly. So, whilst we talk about Trevor, he may not be threatened with execution, but he was vilified for speaking the truth.
There is a tale that goes like this:
There was once a Sufi mystic who was summoned before a tyrannical king. Angered, he demanded: “Why do you refuse to bow or flatter me like everyone else?”
The sage replied: “Your power governs bodies, but my soul is governed by the Divine. I only speak the truth, for light cannot bow to the dark.”
The egotistical king was now truly angry and threw a tantrum, threatening to execute the dissident. To this, the Sufi mystic calmly answered: “By killing me, you merely strip me of a garment I no longer need.”
The king mumbled, truly humbled by this absolute lack of fear, and let the sage walk free.
Punching Upwards, the Comedian
Trevor Noah told the world that the Iranian team was always grilled on geopolitics instead of football. This is the full script of what he said:
“Why is it that African teams and Middle Eastern teams have to answer for what their governments and countries are doing, but then European teams don’t have to do this?
Noah, youtube image
The Iranian team — shout out to the Iranian team. We’re not talking about Iran, the country, or the regime, or anyone. Those players had so much respect. They played the game with integrity. They didn’t do any crazy s**t. They were flying in every single day. Every single day they had to fly to another country to play a game, and they had customs and immigration every time they flew in. They were searched every single time. It was hours and hours before they could play the game. They’d come in, they’d play the game, they’d treat everyone with respect.
They played like a fair, solid game, a fair, solid game, and still, every press conference afterwards, they didn’t get asked questions about the game. The media keeps trying to trap them into saying something controversial. ‘What do you think about what’s happening in the Strait of Hormuz?’ The guys are like, ‘Yo bro, I’m a footballer, I’m here to talk about football.’
But they don’t ask this of any of the American players, right? They don’t ask the Canadian players, ‘What do you think about the North American trade agreement that might be falling apart?’ They don’t ask them about that.”
Are all athletes equal?
It is true that the Trump administration’s already controversial immigration policies were upped a few notches when the World Cup came to town. The Trump regime expanded travel restrictions targeting 39 countries (such as World Cup participants Senegal, Ivory Coast, Haiti, and Iran), thus blocking ordinary fans from watching their countries’ national selections. Whilst athletes were generally exempted, progressive NGOs point out that the overall visa rejection rates were or are around 40%, with severe consular delays. Whilst Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned these measures as being against Olympic values and sporting solidarity, FIFA and U.S. officials defended them as necessary for national security.
This was on top of the humiliation that some Africans faced: team Senegal and Somali referee Omar Artan, one of Africa’s top officials, was denied entry into the US despite holding a valid visa and diplomatic passport. After beating Australia, the Egyptian team staff (including director Ibrahim Hassan and player Trezeguet) clashed with Dallas police and hotel security after security stopped fans from taking photos with the players and physically pushed staff members — all at the team’s hotel in Dallas, Texas.
But the double standards were felt worse by Iran; they were handicapped, and the fact that they did not lose a game is testimony to their fighting spirit as a people, their steadfastness — sumud — for which they deserve a prize. Their fitter, rested, and more well-resourced opponents could not beat them. This is the stuff that Sufis dream of — a David and Goliath story. Team Melli showed that football is about community and friendships, solidarity if you like, not big bucks and stadia.
But what of the journalists? They did not question Gianni Infantino about this unfairness to the team that impacted their performance, as Trevor Noah did about the post-match interviews.
Courtesy: https://www.presstv.ir
After their 2-2 draw with New Zealand, the team expected to stay in Los Angeles overnight on Monday but instead were forced to return to their base in Mexico. This prompted their coach to say: “To be honest, I have no idea why. I think perhaps our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup.”
After their Belgium match, which ended in a 2–2 draw, they left a note:
“We come from Iran—a land that, for thousands of years, has valued honour above victory. For us, football is more than a competition for results; it is a test of character. Perhaps points can be won in many ways, but respect cannot. Perhaps a team can advance from a group, but only through fairness and honour can one stand tall before history. Fair play is not just a line in football rules; it is the soul of the game. Thank you, Seattle, for your hospitality, and thank you to all Iranians, who gave their hearts, their voices, and their whole being for Iran. Iran, always standing tall.”
Things did not get better for the next and final match. The team coach also felt aggrieved and believed that in their final match against Egypt they had indeed scored a legitimate goal. This, during injury time, was a winner but ruled offside. If they had won, they would have earned passage to the last 32. The goal was disallowed after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review found that the Iranian forward was in an offside position “by the literal tip of his toe,” as one report had it.
FIFA, still Offside
Whilst not everyone agrees on this goal – most are clear that deliberate obstacles were put before Iran by the USA government with FIFA connivance. One former player who believed that the goal was legitimate is former Swedish international footballer Zlatan Ibrahimović. He wrote:
“You didn’t just disallow a goal — you stole a nation’s dream. The referee and VAR must be held accountable. This isn’t justice — it’s incompetence.”
After their 1-1 draw against Egypt in Seattle on June 26, 2026, the players left this note, which clearly was crafted with the war on Iran by the USA and Israel in mind.
Remember the Children
The handwritten note addressed to the people of Mexico read:
“You showed us that hosting a FIFA World Cup is about far more than stadiums and tickets. True hosting is about respect, humanity, and dignity. We will never forget the kindness of the people of Tijuana. From this day forward, Mexico will always be more than a host nation to us; it will be our second home and our second team.
“We leave this World Cup with pride, but also with one fundamental question: did every team truly compete under equal conditions and equal professional standards?
“What we experienced was a series of decisions, logistical arrangements, and circumstances that undermined the sense of fairness – an impression only reinforced by the events of the final matchday of our group.”
The Video Assistant Referee does not rule on the handicaps that Iran faced under the invisible hand of the vindictive Trump regime. If there was such a VAR, I have no doubt that Trump, Infantino, and the whole damn lot of FIFA weaklings would be found offside.
Thank you, Team Melli. Like the helpless king whose wisdom and wisecracks exposed his power as being meaningless, you showed the path of solidarity. At all times you wore special gold pins representing “#168” and black armbands as a mark of mourning for the 168 schoolchildren from Minab who were killed in a tragic missile strike on their elementary school on February 28, 2026. The bombers were from the USA and Israel, and for this, they have yet to account.
And for the South African Trevor who refused to turn away when he sees a foul being committed — you are the fool who keeps catching those who foul. Your crazy wisdom has made us laugh at power and gives us hope that will make things better.
Hassen Lorgat