Trudeau uses soccer team as a political pawn

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others completely embarrassed Canadian soccer players to both our country and the world by speaking out against the Iran-Canada football match.

Before one rushes to judgment over the cancellation of this international soccer game in Vancouver, let us look at past history.

In 1988, Iran played the United States at the World Cup in France. (I watched this game on television.)

For obvious reasons, this match was arguably the most politically-charged game in world history. (Iran and the U.S. will play again in Qatar this fall.)

The Iranian leader forbid his team from the traditional walk-over and hand shake. So, the Americans did the walk-over and hand shake with the Iranian players.

As a goodwill gesture, the Iranian players gifted the American players white roses as a symbol of peace.

The thoughtful Iranian gesture surely did not have the approval of its government.

American player Jeff Agoos said: “We (the American and Iranian soccer players) did more in 90 minutes than politicians did in 20 years (to promote peace and understanding).”

It needs to be clear that international soccer players are goodwill ambassadors and do not shoot down passenger planes, start wars or promote hate — politicians have been known to do this.

Sports-washing is a term implying that governments use sports to sanitize their image.

Iran and others have been accused of sportswashing. So what about Justin Trudeau?

Trudeau went to Edmonton for the photoop with the men’s national team. Arguably this was a case of sports-washing to distance himself from allegations of groping in the Kootenays, leaving his teaching job in Vancouver without a full explanation, blackface postings, contempt of Parliament, the engineering company scandal, and more.

One should focus on removing certain politicians and their facilitators from power and support soccer-playing, goodwill ambassadors.

The people can only dream.

What a wonderful world it would be.