Joy Reid Guest Worries Team USA Winning World Cup Would be ‘Exploited’ By Trump

Not all Americans are cheering for the USA in the World Cup.

The Nation sports editor David Zirin said he is cheering for the American Men’s soccer squad to lose so that its victory cannot be “exploited,” presumably by President Donald Trump. Zirin shared his soccer dreams during an interview on Joy Reid’s podcast on July 1.

“I find myself really wishing the United States was actually playing a team from the Global South so I could truly root with even more fervor to see them get knocked down a peg, because we know how it’s going to be exploited if they go forward in the Cup,” Zirin said. “Let’s just be real about that.”

Reid chuckled and agreed.

That came a moment after Zirin said the World Cup is about a lot more than soccer.

“The World Cup is politics by other means. It is informed politically and it is created politically, for the simple reason that we do have this world of unequal nations, and we do have this sport that the entire world watches,” he said. “And when you imbue that incredible global viewership with the politics of colonialism and empire, it’s impossible to extricate the two and what makes it so painful.”

Reid said later in the episode she was cheering for all the teams from Africa in the tournament.

“I’m being very open about it. I’m rooting for the African teams. I want one of them to win. I think it would be so great for the Global South for an African team to take home the big prize,” Reid said. “And I am sorry, not sorry, but I really want that to happen. I think it would be great for our our collective souls if that happened.”

As of Monday, only two African teams remain in the World Cup: Morocco and Egypt.

Their comments were made on the same day star U.S. striker Folarin Balogun was hit with a controversial red card in Team USA’s match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The U.S. won, but the call meant Balogun would have to sit out the team’s next game against Belgium.

Balogun was reinstated by FIFA, though, and is now set to play in Monday’s big game. Trump on Monday confirmed he called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to see if the penalty could wiped away.

“All I did was ask for a review. I didn’t say you have to do this,” Trump said during a press conference. “This man is a smart, tough man, Gianni Infantino. He’s a smart, tough man, and his stock has gone through the roof because the job he’s done has been great, And I feel we have to have all the best players on the field. You can’t take the best players.”

Watch above.

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