Global Warning: World Cup’s Begun

Javier Dale
Jun 11, 2026 | 19:47 IST

Pride, joy, grief, ugly US visa rules, a shady FIFA, govts, like that in Scotland, changing laws for fans…it’s football as theatre, and so, there’ll be an element of farce as well


2026 marks the 30th anniversary of a major change in European football. From July 1, 1996, football clubs belonging to EU were able to sign players from other EU countries and register them in competitions not as foreign players, but as nationals. For example, until then, Spain’s La Liga allowed its teams to have four foreign players on their rosters.
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