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   ON THE 2026 "WHIRLED" CUP:   Attention 2026 World Cup watchers       

Why "whirled"? Football, the most popular game in the world, was once known as "the people's game". It is now often called "the beautiful game" but recent events put in question the beauty of the tournament, not least the un-accountability of FIFA, football's governing body, which has selected recent tournament hosts with poor human rights records and absent public representation or explicit ethical principles. At some point otherwise private events become so big they require scrutiny. With Canada as our base - a 2026 World cup co-host (with the USA and Mexico) -  TorontotheBetter, creators of the TorontotheBetter directory of local social enterprises undertakes to review tournament developments with a values eye up to and including the event itself in the summer of 2026. We here present matters we think World Cup watchers should know and may not.

* Canada has recently come under economic and verbal attack by the leader of World Cup co-host USA    

* Canada refused participation with the UK and the USA in the war on Iraq in 2003 

*indigenous leader Tecumseth of the First Nations confederacy allied with British North America (now Canada) against the USA in the War of 1812

*Canada has a national public healthcare system

*Canada is officially bilingual

P,S.TorontotheBetter's referencing of Canada's historical circumstances here does not entail endorsement of any national characteristics other than those explicitly cited.                

# posted by Taodhg @ 11:55 am 0 comments

Despite their mass current popularity the origin of professional sports lie in social elites because originally, as property owners, they were the only groups with time to do sport. and no work necessities. The rules of the most popular game in the world - soccer- were first written down at Cambridge University in England. The ownership elites continue to be powerful but they have been exponentially expanded by the increase of time in the schedules of workers, who now have the ability to play and watch sports. Through sports, particularly tournaments like the World Cup. In 2025, Sports, particularly football aka soccer, is everybody's business, with business as the key term, because sports' popularity provide access to millions of people accessible to advertising. What the sports don't have, until players intervene, is any obligation to human rights or responsibilities until they are demanded by bodies that are truly representative and accountable.  

# posted by Taodhg @ 10:15 am 0 comments

Visit https://www.torontothebetter.net for the TRUE best of Toronto

# posted by Taodhg @ 1:19 am 0 comments

Leaders of recent and future “Whirled Cup” host countries  have something in common and it is not a trespect for human rights. True football lovers must take action FIFA’s downward path is to be stopped. Will the World Cup bring democracy to dictatorships? Not until FIFA makes clear its opposition to the undemocratic. 

# posted by Taodhg @ 11:50 am 0 comments

TorontotheBetter has learned from a friend in Montreal of a remarkable community achievement: the recent naming of La Place Balconville in Verdun, as a tribute to an inner city neighborhood made famous by the 1979 play of the same name by Montreal writer David Fennario.On behalf of all working for just, inclusive and creative cities in Canada and beyond we honour the legacy of all in Balconville. Solidarite et fratenite a tous. 

# posted by Taodhg @ 3:07 am 0 comments

An event long in the making, to assure football/soccer governing body FIFA of future revenues and boost the ego of a tarnished US president has now taken place as, with straight faces, Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino preside over the handover of a symbolic "peace" token to a warmonger. Troops on the streets of U.S. cities evidently do not deter FIFA from the "greater good" of presidential flattery. If insults and militaristic threats fit well with peace then we live in a satirically topsy-turvy world order. The award ceremony on December 5, 2025 should at least give heart and motivation to World Cup 2026 co-hosts Canada and Mexico, to set the record straight and re-align the world's most popular sport with the values of wholesome athletic endeavour that were its origin. 

As predicted here the chorus of “beatiful game citation is well under way with Canadian PM Carney using his December meeting with Donald Trump to praise football as both beautiful and unifying. His words sound very hollow in the context of a belligerent North American partner.

# posted by Taodhg @ 4:21 pm 0 comments

With over 20 years operating non profit social economy gateway TorontotheBetter, worker cooperative Libra Information Services was pleased to learn recently of the Toronto Star newspaper's Better Toronto programme, a compatriot we recognize in our lengthy social economy struggle to keep Toronto “great”, that is, as a just, creative and inclusive city. By celebrating enterprises that incorporate social values in their missions TorontothrBeter helps to ensure that all in Toronto can contribute to a better city when they make purchases at the designated TorontotheBetter stores in our directory. Making Toronto better never got easier than chossing to spend at enterprises that contrbute to workers, the environoment and the community wea live in.     

Taodhg for TorontotheBetter (TorontotheBetter.net) [tim@TorontotheBetter.net) MA MLIS PhD [ABD]

# posted by Taodhg @ 8:00 pm 0 comments