Discourses From the East
From Sarajevo 1984 to FIFA 2026: The Lessons We Forgot, the Borders We Built
Sarajevo, 1984, showed that sport could build bridges when politics built walls. In the midst of the Cold War, athletes from rival political systems competed together, proving that humanity could rise above ideology. FIFA 2026 was meant to carry that legacy forward. Instead, visa delays, entry restrictions and unequal treatment threaten to turn the world’s game into another arena of exclusion. If politics decides who may travel, who may compete and who may cheer, football no longer unites the world—it merely reflects its divisions. Sarajevo asked: Can we compete without conflict? In 2026, the question seems to be: Can you participate if you come from the right country?
