The FIFA World Cup 2026 left a sobering message: -- the euphoria surrounding football and stardom was overshadowed by parochial nationalism, hostile fan culture, and highly controversial decisions. Exorbitant broadcasting fees and ticket prices exposed the organizers' blatant commercial greed.
So, the largest sporting event in the world no longer offers recreation; neither does it promote the so-called sporting spirit among the teams and fans. Was forcing the Iranian team to leave American soil immediately after each match truly a gesture of “promoting friendship through football?”
Captivating nations and up to two billion spectators sprawling all over the world, the football extravaganza has stopped even intelligent people from asking how sponsors spending billions of dollars would recover the money.
Will the burden not be shifted to those who bought whatever needed to watch the matches and spent sleepless nights?
Whether they are conscious of it or not, they are the consumers of football fever and also of the expensive products and services of the sponsor companies.
The WC football hype was unparalleled in Bangladesh, perhaps more “madness” than in famous footballing nations like Argentina and Brazil. While we don't dare to dream of playing in the finals, Bangladesh recorded the highest number of fan fatalities -- at least 11 out of 20 or so deaths.
The stories of the footballing event and players and coaches, be it the most insignificant ones, flooded the valuable spaces of the media, especially the homepages online. Such coverage was not compatible with the practice in the media of most participating nations, let alone elsewhere.
Isn't it the poverty of the media as well because rather than asking questions about propriety, they competed with each other to capture public attention? Bangladesh had more serious issues to deal with. Yet, we wasted our working hours for over 40 days, doing “research,” forecasting, and gossiping about this tournament.
Brazil's 1994 WC winning footballer Romario once said money for stadiums should instead go toward essential public needs like health, education, and social welfare. Perhaps we should take note.
Currently, Bangladesh's football ranking among 211 nations is 181st. There is no reason why we should feel ashamed of it. Every nation will not shine in every area and Bangladesh, too, is not expected to chase every goal in all global events.
However, there is nothing wrong in targeting to attain success in sports and athletics where there is realistic potential.
The government has just completed a program styled “Notun Kuri Sports” for discovering young sporting talents. This has been organized in the light of Bangladesh Television's Notun Kuri, a program to hunt young talents of the entertainment arena.
Focusing on finding any talent is not only encouraging for the young minds who want to grow, but also a good investment for the future of the nation. In our context, achieving success in sports and entertainment is widely believed to be an easy formula for life, which is not the case in reality.
However, if we are to prosper, making scientific progress, creating knowledge of arts, excelling in creative works, innovation in technology, attaining higher capacity in engineering and medical sciences, offering unique business ideas, acquiring better skills in various trades and services, and moral leadership and social development and harmony and all such areas are better suited.
We are yet to see talent hunt programs in disciplines where the country seriously lags behind the developed nations. We may have plenty of natural but unflourished talents that are not being recognized.
Bangladesh needs all those promising youth who, too, need support from the state to become what they dream of and give back to society. It is time to realize the aspirations of the 2024 revolution, spearheaded by the younger generations.
Khawaza Main Uddin is a journalist. He can be contacted at [email protected].
