Paul Rouse

Because you're a historian of sport.

Is that right?

That's what I spend most of my time teaching and working on in University College Dublin is the history of sport nationally in Ireland, but also internationally.

I teach a second year module on the global history of sport across the last 250 years in particular.

The idea of soccer being politicized is nothing at all new.

What is new is the precise manner in which it's revealing itself.

In the case of America, I suppose the Trumpist focus on immigration and on the projection of America first.

That is in collision with the expressed hashtag.

If you look at Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA's Instagram page, he seems to be unable to post without putting the hashtag football unites the world.

And unfortunately, you cannot say that football unites the world.

if at the same time you're denying entry into your country of people because of where they come from, and including in that a referee of the competition.

But again, this is not new.

The whole way through from 1930 on, like this is a political story.

the whole way through the relationship.

And there was a president of FIFA, an Englishman in the 50s and 60s, Stanley Rouse, no relation, he had no E in his name.

He had this whole notion that sport and politics, and soccer and politics in particular, should not be put into the same wheelhouse.

But they've always been there.

Well, in my world, it's logical to do it.

And you're right, there is an amazing internet fight.

There are people running around the internet with pitchforks.