Maintenance in progress

more than 35 members of the european parliament signed a letter demanding an investigation into fifa president infantino over the reversal of us striker folarin balogun's red card, which followed a direct intervention by trump. in the same days, egypt's team and coach publicly alleged their 3-2 world cup loss to argentina was decided to keep messi in the tournament. two separate, public challenges to the tournament's basic integrity — one implicating a head of state — landing inside the same news cycle is the spectacle turning on itself.

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