Time To Say Goodbye

December 5, 2025. Washington, DC.

I settle in front of the television. I eagerly await the 2026 FIFA World Cup (Soccer) tournament draw.

The lights dim. Elegant in dark glasses and a midnight blue, velvet tuxedo, Italian maestro Andrea Bocelli steps onto the red carpet of the Kennedy Centre.

His voice, rich and powerful, yet intimate and emotional, spills cross the stage. He offers a stunning rendition of Nessun Dorma (Let No One Sleep), one of the great tenor arias. Brilliantly caps the trials of Calaf, an unknown prince, and his tangled, passionate pursuit of a bewitching princess, Turandot.

Indeed, the timeless masterpiece echoes across the globe. By now a sporting anthem in its own right, performed at World Cups since 1990, the aria projects a fundamental and compelling message of love, hope, victory, and resilience.

Too bad this tournament committee, in its organizing wisdom, saves the best for first!

Indeed, what follows Bocelli is nothing short of bizarre, an unmitigated disaster.

Fans such as I want to learn the actual details of the draw. Nothing else. Namely, the makeup of the twelve pools, each comprising four national sides. When, where, and against whom each of these sides will play. Which country might benefit from an “easy” draw. Which countries might feature in a so called “Group of Death.”

Instead, the event itself, now inextricably linked to the extravagances and commercialization of American sport, becomes a parody. A sideshow. A desperate need for spectacle. For big and brash. As a result, over ninety, numbingly dull minutes, we endure a host of much ballyhooed entertainment and sporting icons.

First, models, actors, producers, pop singers attempt to strut their stuff. Unfunny comedians add to the mix, the on stage chatter lacking any spark or real humour.

Along the way, former soccer greats, such as Rio Ferdinand and Thierry Henry, prove conclusively that brilliance as players does not automatically transfer to announcing. Both, in stark contrast to the uber patriotic and bombastic Alexei Lalas, look ashen, in need of a hug even, by the end of their turns at the FOX microphone.

Finally comes a heavyweight group of star athletes, collectively tasked with actually drawing the 48 competing countries from various pots. Legendary figures from all across the professional sport spectrum. Shaq, Tom Brady, Aaron Judge, Eli Manning, among others.

Alas, from a purely Canadian perspective, even the once iconic Wayne Gretzky also gets in on the awfulness. He bungles the pronunciation of qualifiers Macedonia and Curacao.

Of course, an afternoon teetering on the abyss then plunges further downward into the truly absurd. Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump commandeer the stage.

The FIFA head honcho, arrogant, corrupt, vain, unpleasant, and unpopular, introduces the USA President. Grovelling before America’s toxic, authoritarian leader, he presents him with three awards. A medal, a certificate, and a trophy, all part of a made up prize to highlight an individual’s “exceptional actions for peace and unity.” The trophy itself, to me at least, and justifiably mocked worldwide, a grotesque sculpture of desperate hands seemingly intent on dragging mankind down into hell.

Not surprisingly, adding further to the embarrassing tackiness and gracelessness of the entire episode, Trump then hangs the medal around his own neck.

Of course, Infantino and Trump make perfect bedfellows. The FIFA chief kowtows happily to all the American president’s numerous excesses.

Both know that fascism and sport mix nicely. 1936, the rise of Nazism, and the Berlin Olympics as an example. Infantino, happy to promote “sport washing,” a la Qatar 2022. Equally pleased to now ditch any FIFA mandates promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. Slave instead to a monstrous ego, a misguided sense of importance, and pure avarice. Like too many others in positions of power, a Trump lackey.

And what of the Trump himself? An odious, repugnant character, twice impeached. A convicted felon. A racist, a rapist, a conman, a misogynist, a sociopath.

Never mind a bold faced liar, morally bankrupt, and endlessly cruel. The list goes on. Happy to use fear and exercise political violence to maintain control, even as his deeply flawed, tyrannical policies flounder. Even as his health and authority start to wane.

A new year looms.

From a pure sporting perspective, it is impossible to predict how things might pan out once the 2026 World Cup tournament begins. Insanity and tension, in the USA, already reign supreme. Hopefully, any chaos will not spill over the borders, into co-hosts Mexico and Canada. Yet, given Trump’s wild unpredictability and Infantino’s blatant greed and sycophancy, current positions certainly seem unlikely to change for the better.

Back to Bocelli. As stated, how sad his scintillating rendition of Nessun Dorma only opens, rather than closes, the bizarre World Cup draw show. No chance to rescue an absolute train wreck of an event.

Of course, the tenor supremo never literally sees the fallout himself. As, ironically, in a freak accident when 12 years old, involving of all things a soccer ball, he loses his sight.

And so, in my dreams, I see him arrive on stage at the Kennedy Centre, legally blind but ready to buck tradition. To reach people via a different signature song.

Con Te Partiro.

To lobby for transition and a new beginning. That the likes of Infantino, Trump and their ilk, those who negatively command and influence, take their leave. Their departures long overdue.

In this latter regard, Con Te Partiro does translate nicely from Italian to English.

It means Time To Say Goodbye.

Editor’s note:

Democracy, all around the world, lurches from one crisis to another.

In the USA, news about voter suppression, collection of voter data, and election denialism continues unabated.

In terms of the FIFA and the World Cup, complaints emerge already about extortionate ticket prices, deemed a betrayal to tournament traditions. In addition, host cities lament disaster deals with the sport's governing body, while prospective fans to the USA face the threat of having to submit their social media activity once in the country.