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Europe Today: El comisario europeo de Deportes analiza el Mundial más ambicioso de la historia
El esperado Mundial de la FIFA arranca hoy y reunirá durante un mes a las mayores estrellas del fútbol. Hablamos en exclusiva con el comisario europeo de Deportes, Glenn Micallef, sobre uno de los torneos más politizados de los últimos años.
MÁS INFORMACIÓN : http://es.euronews.com/2026/06/11/europe-today-el-comisario-europeo-de-deportes-en-euronews-mientras-arranca-el-mayor-mundia
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El esperado Mundial de la FIFA arranca hoy y reunirá durante un mes a las mayores estrellas del fútbol. Hablamos en exclusiva con el comisario europeo de Deportes, Glenn Micallef, sobre uno de los torneos más politizados de los últimos años.
MÁS INFORMACIÓN : http://es.euronews.com/2026/06/11/europe-today-el-comisario-europeo-de-deportes-en-euronews-mientras-arranca-el-mayor-mundia
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00:18¡Suscríbete al canal!
00:30Bringing together some of the world's biggest footballers for a month of matches.
00:34We'll be joined by Glenn Michaelef, the EU Commissioner for Sports,
00:38to hear the Brussels view on one of the most political World Cups to date.
00:42Meanwhile, Northern Ireland is in the headlines after another night of unrest
00:46since a knife attack in Belfast on Monday left a man seriously injured.
00:51The suspect, a Sudanese national, has been charged with attempted murder.
00:55The incident sparked anti-immigration protests that turned violent,
00:59with cars and homes set on fire and police deployed across the city.
01:04And the Cypriot Presidency is set to unveil its wish list for the EU's long-term budget.
01:11Their proposals suggest a 2% reduction to the Commission's €2 trillion spending plan.
01:17The goal is to seal a deal by Christmas to avoid debates ahead of 2027
01:22when key elections take place in France, Poland, Spain and Italy.
01:27But first, to Luxembourg, where Eurozone finance ministers are gathering.
01:31On the same day, the European Central Bank mulls an increase in interest rates
01:35due to higher inflation as a result of the instability in the Middle East.
01:39For more, we can now head straight to Luxembourg and bring in our Europe editor, Maria Tadeo,
01:43who's joined there by the head of the Eurogroup.
01:46Good morning, Maria. Just tell us first what is on the agenda.
01:51Good morning, Maven. Indeed, there are two important meetings.
01:54The Eurogroup is gathering here in Luxembourg, but of course,
01:57the focus is very much on the European Central Bank,
01:59which has now seen increasing interest rates by 25 basis points to 2.25%.
02:05Obviously, this is a scenario in which growth for the European economy has been dented
02:10because of this war, but also you are seeing this operational for both banks,
02:15but also consumer interest rate environment going up.
02:18And to debrief, I'm happy to say we're joined by the head of the Eurogroup,
02:22Kyriak Kospi, right?
02:23Kyriak is also, of course, Greek finance minister.
02:26Sir, the European Central Bank will increase interest rates.
02:28That is very much what financial markets are expecting.
02:31I know you're not going to comment on the European Central Bank.
02:34There's independence, but is that going to make your life more difficult
02:38if we see this higher interest rate environment?
02:40Good morning from Luxembourg. Good morning to your viewers.
02:42Let me begin by saying that, as you suggested,
02:45the European ministers of finance do not comment upon monetary policy.
02:47We trust the ECB to fulfill its role to anchor inflation expectations, which it must.
02:53And at the same time, what we do know is that we should do fiscal policy.
02:57We should implement policies that do not contradict monetary policy.
03:00We need to have orchestrated policies that optimally support citizens.
03:04We know that inflation right now is a challenge.
03:06We know that growth is at the same time a challenge.
03:08And we're trying to optimally target our policies to protect the most vulnerable,
03:12while also investing in our long-term needs,
03:15especially with regards to energy and energy infrastructural investments.
03:18And you made a critical, crucial point on this.
03:21Because the European Central Bank is increasing interest rates,
03:24because inflation, once again, went up in May,
03:27a lot of that is driven by energy.
03:29But your policy should not make it worse, and it should not contradict it.
03:32So on the fiscal side of things,
03:34how are you going to help households and Europeans with those bills,
03:38but at the same time, keep that inflation pressure lower?
03:41How is that?
03:41We know that we should be doing effectively three things at once,
03:44which makes the situation even more challenging.
03:46On the one hand, you need to support the most vulnerable households that are most in need.
03:50Second, you should be fiscally prudent,
03:52because we know that the fiscal situation,
03:54compared to what it was in 2022, is actually now more challenging.
03:58And the third point is that what you do in the long run
04:01should fit what you do in the short run.
04:03And when we invest in energy,
04:05we're effectively investing in the long run sovereignty capabilities
04:09and needs of the European Union as a whole.
04:11What do we know?
04:12We know that the investments that we made since 2022 as Europeans
04:16enabled us to fill the crisis, as the IMF calculates,
04:20by 12% less compared to what we would have had
04:23had we not made the requisite investments.
04:25So what is the Commission proposing?
04:27They are proposing extra fiscal flexibility
04:29with regards to investments in energy infrastructure.
04:33And how is that going to play in?
04:34Because you know very well your Italian colleague,
04:36representing the government of Giorgio Meloni,
04:38will say today Italy still wants to see more flexibility and energy.
04:43Whatever they spend on energy,
04:44they don't want that included in debt and deficit calculations.
04:47Is the Eurogroup open to that suggestion?
04:50Because the Italians are making it very clear they need help on energy.
04:53Let me make first two points.
04:55When we had the escape clause for defense,
04:57we knew that investments in defense are about Europe's freedom.
05:01Investments in energy are about Europe's economic independence.
05:03And what do we know?
05:04We know that the best social policy is to actually lower energy prices in the long run,
05:10not only doing a short-run fix, a quick fix to address the current needs that we have in front
05:17of us.
05:17So in this regard, what the Commission is proposing,
05:20which is some extra flexibility to accommodate for investments in energy,
05:23I think constitutes a very targeted and a very fair approach, a very fair proposal.
05:28And this is exactly what we're going to be discussing today.
05:30The Italians, however, continue to say it will not be enough.
05:33This is a very serious situation.
05:35Measures should be implemented now in order to stop a recession.
05:38Nonetheless, that recession has not happened.
05:41And that worst-case scenario of flights who maybe could not even take off over summer has not happened yet.
05:46What is your outlook?
05:47How do you see this European economy performing in a very difficult scenario,
05:52but not in a catastrophic scenario yet?
05:54Well, let me put it this way.
05:55Our work is to render Europe more resilient.
05:58So in this regard, what do we know?
05:59We know that we're not in the worst-case scenario, as you suggested,
06:02but we also know that we're not in the best-case scenario.
06:04We're in a challenging situation.
06:06So what has the Commission proposed?
06:08Targeted measures, measures that are temporary, targeted, and tailored
06:11in order to support the most vulnerable and those in need.
06:14At the same time, what do we know?
06:16We know that investments in energy, as I mentioned before,
06:19effectively make the European Union, the Energy Union, more resilient.
06:23And at the end of the day, they constitute the most productive
06:25and the most effective social policy.
06:27So we're going to be discussing this today.
06:29But you don't see a recession happening.
06:30You don't see a big economic downturn.
06:32You think the worst has been avoided?
06:33Well, let me put it this way.
06:35We are closely monitoring the situation.
06:37We know that the numbers have been adapted.
06:39They have been updated.
06:40Inflation upwards, growth downwards.
06:42Are we in a stagflationary tendency?
06:44We are, but we're not in stagflation.
06:46So we're going to monitor the situation.
06:48The Commission, overall, is adapting its proposals contextually.
06:52So the situation has changed, and this is why the Commission has proposed
06:54this extra fiscal flexibility with regards to energy investments.
06:58So we're going to monitor.
06:59We're going to discuss.
06:59There are different viewpoints at the table.
07:01I've said this publicly.
07:02And we're going to try to do our best.
07:04And just a final minute on this matter.
07:06The head of the IMF will also be participating in the talks.
07:10The IMF, Kristalina Gergeva, she has said she's in favor of common debt
07:13for common European projects.
07:15That would be good for Europe.
07:16How's that conversation going along?
07:18Is that something you can support?
07:19More joint borrowing?
07:20Let me put it this way.
07:21We already had the IMF join our discussions.
07:23I mentioned before this calculation about 12 percent less impact because of what we did.
07:28This is an IMF calculation with regards to energy.
07:31I had the privilege of meeting Kristalina Gergeva yesterday with my other hat,
07:34that of the Greek Minister of Finance.
07:36And if I may make a quick point, I think it's quite symbolic to see my country, Greece,
07:41from a country that was a participant in an IMF-led program to now be a contributor of technical know
07:46-how
07:46for the Southeastern Europe Technical Assistance Center in the region.
07:50So the work of the IMF, I think, is quite pertinent to support the work that we,
07:54as European ministers of finance, are trying to do.
07:56We're going to be discussing all of those issues at the Eurogroup.
08:00Obviously, as you know, my work as president of the Eurogroup is to speak about what we all agree upon
08:05at the same time.
08:05On that very topic, there are different viewpoints.
08:07But certainly there isn't an issue that we're not planning to discuss.
08:10Well, Minister, thank you so much.
08:11And head of the Eurogroup, of course, his job is to find consensus.
08:14But at this point, Maven, you alluded to this.
08:17Budget talks will begin.
08:18The conversation about Eurobonds certainly has not died.
08:21It's a difficult job to find consensus on this matter.
08:23It is indeed, Maria Tadeo.
08:24Thank you so much for that live broadcast there from Luxembourg.
08:27And of course, to your guest, the head of the Eurogroup.
08:29But now moving on, today is the 11th of June, which means the World Cup begins.
08:34It's the most exciting day of the year if you're an avid football fan.
08:43The 2026 World Cup, which is the largest World Cup to date, will kick off with historic ceremonies across the
08:49host countries, the US, Canada and Mexico.
08:52Today, one of the hosts, Mexico, will be facing South Africa in Mexico City and then South Korea taking on
08:58Czechia in Guadalajara in Mexico.
09:00The excitement, of course, is palpable.
09:03But this year, the high spurts could be marred by geopolitics, immigration enforcement and the Trump administration's travel ban.
09:10For the view from Brussels, we can bring in now the EU Commissioner for Sports, Glenn Michailov.
09:14Good morning.
09:15Good morning, me.
09:15Great to have you with us.
09:16I know you're a big football fan.
09:18I am a huge football fan.
09:19And I know you're actually not too bad at football as well.
09:22We actually, we have some pictures there we can play of you showing off your football skills there.
09:27Did you ever dream of being a professional football player?
09:30I actually played football when I was younger.
09:33So ever since I could walk, I always remember myself carrying my football around.
09:38So how are you feeling then today?
09:39Could you even sleep last night over the World Cup?
09:41I can't wait for the kickoff later on today.
09:43So I've been, for the past few months, immersing myself.
09:46I have World Cup fever at the moment.
09:48You have World Cup fever.
09:49And does the Berlimont too?
09:50Does the European Commission?
09:51What's the vibe like there?
09:52I know there are a couple of people in the corridors of the Berlimont who are also really keen on
09:58what's happening
09:59and following the development of their favourite football teams.
10:03And will you even stay up late to watch some of the games?
10:05I will try to watch all of the games.
10:07So there are 16 European teams that are participating.
10:11I'm really looking forward to watching all their matches, but all other matches as well.
10:16Because this is one of the biggest sporting events on the planet, along with the Olympic Games.
10:21Who are you up for?
10:22Who's going to take it home?
10:24My prediction would be two teams, either Spain or France.
10:27But I think Spain will win it at the end.
10:29Well, you've got football fever.
10:30And of course, everyone's talking about the games, from TikTok influencers to schoolgoers who are swapping football stickers.
10:36Because last time, 1.5 billion of us tuned in for the final.
10:40And now for the view from the EU quarter here on who could take home the Cup.
10:44Euro News' Adlan Leal went out with the Euro News mic.
10:48The biggest ever World Cup starts today.
10:50For the first time, three different countries will host the event.
10:53A record number of 104 games will be played.
10:56And the number of participants has been extended to 48.
10:59Here in Brussels, not only Europe's capital, but also one of the most international cities in the world,
11:05people will surely be watching closely.
11:07But who do they think is going to win and why?
11:09Let's find out.
11:10I want England to win the World Cup because after 60 years of hurt, now it's finally time for football
11:17to come home.
11:18But who's going to win the World Cup?
11:19Probably France.
11:20What can I say?
11:21I think Belgium is going to win because they deserve it.
11:23We have Italian coaches abroad.
11:27Ancelotti is coaching Brazil.
11:29Cannavaro is coaching Uzbekistan.
11:31And Montella is with Turquille.
11:32We can take comfort in their successes.
11:37I think Portugal will win the World Cup because of Cristiano Ronaldo's last tournament.
11:42I believe Brazil because I'm Brazilian.
11:45Even living in Europe, I believe it's Brazil.
11:47Not because I believe we're the best.
11:49We will only know at the end.
11:51I want that Mexico wins because of Orbelin-Beneda.
11:56But I think Spain or France will win it.
11:59Back-to-back for Messi, Argentina.
12:02And we also support Willis-Emedo and Cape Verde.
12:04I would love Scotland to win it.
12:05So after 20 years, it's the first time back.
12:07And I think either France or Spain can win it.
12:10At the end of the day, I want my country to win the World Cup.
12:13So Islamic Republic of Iran, always.
12:16I want Uzbekistan to win.
12:18Who I think should win is Ghana.
12:20But who I think will win, Brazil or France.
12:28So many there reckon France will take it home.
12:30And of course, the bookies are saying it's between France and Spain.
12:33We'll have to wait and see.
12:34I'm bold predictions there.
12:35We'll have to wait and see.
12:36Because of course, football is meant to unite, Commissioner.
12:39But this year, thousands cannot go.
12:41They're left out due to travel bans, visa restrictions.
12:44L'Equipe here, a French daily, kind of captured the mood this year.
12:48The kind of vibe that's overshadowing a lot of the headlines.
12:51How will these games bring the world together if so many people are left out?
12:54Well, for starters, I hope that this World Cup will be remembered for pure football excitement,
13:00for the joy and passion it brings on the pitch, but also for millions of fans around the world
13:06who, in times like these, come together in squares, in bars, in cafes to watch their favorite teams.
13:12Of course, it's about accessibility.
13:14These decisions on who has access are for the host country also to take decisions on.
13:22But I hope that this will be one of the World Cups that's remembered for football excitement and for the
13:28joy it brings.
13:28Because the reality is that it's not.
13:30That is not the case.
13:31We've seen one top African referee, a Somali national.
13:34He cannot enter the U.S.
13:35He cannot participate.
13:36And these are the headlines that are overshadowing and kind of dampening the mood this year.
13:41Well, of course, you always have around big sporting events, whatever they are, controversies.
13:48And these are, of course, issues that merit attention.
13:52But my hope is that for the time being, we focus on sport, on football and on the joy it
13:59brings.
13:59And what about Iran?
14:00We saw some lady there, she was expressing her hope that Iran would win.
14:03But we've seen many Iranian-Americans out on the streets as well telling FIFA
14:07they should have cancelled Iran's participation due to the ongoing war
14:10because the Iranians are using their players to try to make themselves look good on the world stage.
14:15What's your view here?
14:16Well, it's good that finally there is a solution
14:18and the Iranian national team can participate in the tournament.
14:22I think the Iranian team qualified and on merit they should participate.
14:27So I think it's good that finally they can be on the pitch
14:31and show the world what football is about,
14:35which is bringing people together and bringing countries together.
14:39Bringing people together, of course.
14:40And it's the topic that we dived into as well this week on The Ring,
14:43that is Uri News' debating show.
14:45We asked Donald Trump perhaps, you know, kill the vibe a little bit this year.
14:49We've seen ticket sales and hotel bookings are below expectations, especially in the United States.
14:54We can take a listen out to MEPs that we're debating in the European Parliament this week.
14:58The Austrian MEP, Lukas Mandl, and Rasmus Andersens from The Greens.
15:03Dear colleague, you have advocated for boycotting the World Cup.
15:07I don't agree with that.
15:08I think the excitement about football is much bigger than politics can ever be.
15:12And the direct question would be, how would you explain to, let's say, a child excited about football,
15:17just interested into football and this exciting game,
15:20how would you explain to such a child to boycott the game?
15:24I did not advocate to boycott the tournament, especially not for supporters.
15:28But what I think politicians should do is to take a clear stance
15:32and to criticize both the FIFA but also the current U.S. administration
15:36on the mistakes they are making when it also comes to organizing sports.
15:41And there, I think that politicians have a different kind of responsibility,
15:48meaning that they should not travel there and be part of the tournament
15:53and green light both the actions of the FIFA and of the U.S. president.
15:59So for me, it's not a general boycott.
16:01But I think as politicians, we should not go there and then support.
16:07A glimpse of the ring there that you can catch the rest of, of course, on Euronews.
16:10What's your view here? What would you say to a kid?
16:13Well, first of all, I don't think boycotts will solve anything in this respect.
16:17I think we should not deprive fans of the opportunities to follow their favorite teams.
16:22This is, I think, one of the moments where people can come together.
16:28This being said, I think, of course, football should be accessible to everyone.
16:34And I'm quite happy to see politicians around the world organizing
16:38and making spaces available for people to come and watch their favorite teams.
16:43And this is also an opportunity to highlight that here in Europe,
16:47there are governing bodies in sports like UEFA,
16:51who has a fan first policy, which makes these games,
16:55these sporting events accessible to people.
16:58And that's the kind of sport that I want to see.
17:00Well, you mentioned UEFA just on the Champions League.
17:02We saw a few weeks ago, unfortunately,
17:03the games were dampened by the violence that broke out in Paris.
17:07What's your responsibility here as the EU Commissioner for Sport
17:10to try and improve the situation?
17:11Well, of course, sporting events have to be safe.
17:15But this also involves a lot of coordination between the hosts,
17:19in this case, the countries which would be hosting these games,
17:22and the bodies which are organizing them.
17:25So there needs to be a lot of coordination in this respect
17:28to make these sporting events as safe as possible.
17:32Okay, Commissioner Glenn Micheleff,
17:33thank you so much for coming into us this morning
17:35on this very exciting day as that World Cup gets underway.
17:39But as we've been discussing,
17:41the headlines about this year's World Cup
17:43have focused less on football
17:44and more on issues like exploding ticket prices,
17:47fan boycotts, security and visa bans, etc.
17:50Our Jakob Janis takes a closer look at the long list.
17:56FIFA president Gianni Infantino
17:58must love the view from Trump Tower.
18:00He runs a Manhattan office there,
18:03wears MAGA ties,
18:04and is called by Donald Trump,
18:06the king of soccer.
18:07I call it soccer.
18:08You know, it's just easier to do
18:11because we have football
18:12and they have two footballs, right?
18:14They call it football.
18:14But while the football elite
18:16wrap shoulders in Washington,
18:18the game is hitting a metaphorical
18:19and physical wall at the US border.
18:22You see, the international team's referees
18:25and everyday fans
18:26find it a bit difficult
18:27to see the games which start today.
18:29What is going on there?
18:33FIFA expects to pocket
18:34more than $3 billion
18:36from ticket sales and hospitality alone.
18:39But corporate pricing
18:40has broken the marketplace.
18:41Ticket packages
18:42to follow a team to the final
18:44are now estimated
18:45to cost five times more
18:47than four years ago.
18:49On top of that,
18:50nearly 180,000 tickets
18:52are flooding the official resale market
18:54and median resale prices
18:56have plunged by 20%
18:58in a single month.
18:59But the biggest bust
19:00is happening
19:01at the border security checkpoints.
19:03Infantinos sports diplomacy
19:05means nothing
19:06to US immigration officers
19:07enforcing hard travel bans
19:09against four qualified nations,
19:11including Iran and Somalia.
19:13And US border agents
19:14just locked Somalia's top referee
19:16in a cell for 11 hours
19:18before throwing him
19:19out of the country.
19:21Iraq's star striker
19:22was detained in Chicago
19:23for seven hours.
19:24And currently,
19:25the Iranian squad
19:26is stranded,
19:27training across the border
19:28in Tijuana
19:29because Washington
19:30refused visas
19:31to 15 members
19:32of their staff,
19:34including the head
19:35of the Football Federation.
19:36So it looks like
19:37the very definition
19:38of a global sporting event
19:39is being rewritten
19:41before our own eyes.
19:43The opening week
19:44proves that football
19:45does not unite the world.
19:46It is national borders
19:48and strict immigration laws
19:49that are defining
19:50who gets to play
19:51and who stays at home.
19:53So can FIFA
19:54hold this World Cup together?
19:56Tune in on tonight
19:57to find out
19:58as Mexico opens
19:59the tournament
20:00playing against South Africa.
20:02Oh, and remember,
20:03Euronews will be covering
20:04the games
20:05and the whole political
20:06sideshow
20:07surrounding them
20:08for you.
20:12So there you go,
20:14Euronews.com.
20:14That is your source
20:15to find out all
20:16about the games.
20:17You can also write
20:18to us here
20:18at Euronews.com
20:20to tell us what you think
20:21of this year's
20:22World Cup 2026.
20:24But that does bring
20:25this edition
20:26of Europe Today
20:27to an end.
20:27Thank you so much
20:28for tuning in.
20:29As always,
20:29take care
20:30and see you soon
20:30here on Euronews.
20:32Euronews.
20:35Euronews.
20:42Euronews.
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