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Sport has always reflected the world — ignoring politics is itself a political choice
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Players have unique global platforms; silence normalises injustice
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History vindicates engagement — South Africa ban, apartheid boycotts worked
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Fans denied visas cannot be wished away by FIFA statements
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Protest inside the game (Germany's rainbows) forces conversation without cancellation
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Boycotts punish athletes, not governments — players trained lifetimes for this
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Football as neutral ground enables diplomacy impossible elsewhere
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Cancellation would devastate grassroots football funding globally
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Politicising sport risks turning every tournament into an ideological battlefield
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Iran playing was a human story — fans connected despite government enmity