The World Cup is tarnished. Should fans enjoy it anyway?
The tournaments punctuate and brighten millions of lives. But this one is a scandal
It is, once again, July 4th 1990. You are watching the semi-final of the World Cup on a friend’s sofa. At half-time, the score is still nil-nil; Paul Gascoigne, known as Gazza, a peerless but troubled English footballer, is in his magical pomp. The deathly penalty shoot-out that West Germany is fated to win is a distant prospect. Everything is still possible: for Gazza, for England, and for you.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Losing the World Cup”
Culture November 12th 2022
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