Police, fear of deportation, and strange scores: the Club World Cup gets underway

BarcelonaThe inaugural FIFA Club World Cup began with a goalless draw between Inter Miami and Egypt's Al-Ahly. The match was being played at Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, where American football is normally played. Around 60,000 people gathered, though the venue was not completely filled, in part because some fans were afraid to go to the stadium, as access required multiple security checkpoints. Many of the fans who wanted to go were Latino immigrants, some of whom did not have proper papers.

The World Cup has begun with border police deployed in the cities where the matches took place and with some strange first matches, as a goalless draw gave way to a 10-0 thrashing by Bayern against the New Zealand champions, Auckland City, in a stadium that was also not full. PSG and Atlético Madrid starred in the first high-profile match, with France winning 4-0 with goals from Fabián Ruiz, Vitinha, Senny Mayulu and Kang-in Lee from the penalty spot.

The inaugural World Cup comes at a time of international and local tension within the United States, following the murder of Democratic state congresswoman Melissa Hortman and her husband, and protests in several cities over the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. "U.S. Border Protection is committed to working to ensure the Club World Cup is safe and secure for everyone involved, just as we do with all major sporting events, including the Super Bowl. Our mission has not changed," authorities explained, without specifying whether they would use the tournament to try to catch undocumented immigrants. In the Miami area, one million people of Latino origin are worrying about their future.

The World Cup isn't quite clicking, and one reason is over-security, as the Trump administration wants to avoid the incidents of the last Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia in 2024, which featured fights in the stands and fans who entered without tickets. At the time, law enforcement officials said a lack of intelligence gathering and inadequate security perimeters led to the chaos that delayed the match for 80 minutes and left hundreds injured. "For the Club World Cup, fans will have to pass through multiple checkpoints. The safety of fans and participants is paramount in everything we do to ensure a positive and memorable experience for all. Our security team has been planning and working closely with the authorities," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said before the event. Both FIFA and Trump want the tournament to be a success a year before the 2026 World Cup.

That's why thousands of police officers from various security forces have been mobilized, also with the task of preventing political protests inside the stadiums, since many of the fans who usually attend the American League are of Latin origin, and banners against Trucción have been seen at the domestic competition's matches. This is a criminal record that follows clubs like Boca Juniors in Argentina and Palmeiras in Brazil. Even a Boca player with a criminal record for helping a cousin in a robbery was not allowed to enter.