Summary: Nepotism has transformed from a local phenomenon to a global issue amid rising controversy over political interference in sports, raising widespread questions about the integrity of international institutions, the erosion of meritocracy, and the expansion of what is metaphorically known as 'globalization of courgette'.

The world is witnessing numerous and rapid transformations, upheavals, and reversals. Due to their speed and bizarre nature, some people suffer from a dizziness similar to seasickness, but it can be defined as 'courgette dizziness'.

Courgette dizziness is not ordinary dizziness; it is full of culture, saturated with customs, and mixed with traditions. For decades, perhaps centuries, it has been associated with certain countries, cultures, and peoples. The transformations and upheavals of the last two decades have brought fundamental changes and astonishing shifts that go beyond dismantling traditional powers, disrupting global alliances, ending the era of globalization and free trade in favor of nationalist tendencies and interests based on military power and economic hegemony, or expanding cross-border networks resulting from the evolution of the far-right from marginal groups into interconnected transnational networks. They also seem to carry strong winds and components related to favoritism and flattery, or as some call it, cajolery and softness, or according to the Cambridge Dictionary: Nepotism, which means 'favoritism'.

Strikingly, while the Arabic words 'muhaabah' or 'muhsubiyyah' are used to mean assigning jobs or giving opportunities to acquaintances as a favor, not to expertise or those who deserve it, the English language has several words for this, such as Favoritism, Clientelism, and Cronyism.

The winds of nepotism do not come violently or loudly; rather, they draw from their synonyms of softness and flattery in terms of rhythm, impact, and safe, quiet passage, despite the shocking loud effect. The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word as the practice of using power or influence to grant unfair advantages, jobs, or privileges to family members or friends, instead of making decisions based on merit. It often leads to ignoring qualified candidates, harms workplace morale and institutional efficiency, and may extend to everyday life and the efficiency of countries and homelands.

President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Gianni Infantino wearing an American hat (AFP)

The personal intervention of US President Donald Trump days ago with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to lift the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun, after he received a red card in the USA's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, seemed strange, unusual, and highly shocking, but largely muted.

It has been customary for politics to cast its shadow on football fields. But for football to cast its shadow on political fields, or for the rules of football to disappear and the principles of politics to shrink before influential persons in international politics—or rather before persons who are the most effective in politics, economics, alliances, wars, conflicts, alignments, tensions, and international détentes—this astonished everyone, including Americans themselves, especially their national team.

Press reports at the time indicated that FIFA's decision to cancel Balogun's suspension came based on President Trump's personal call to FIFA President Infantino to pressure for the reversal of the decision—pressure that succeeded. The pressure succeeded, and the suspended player returned to the field, but his return did not achieve the desired outcome, according to football experts and analysts, namely improving the US team's chances against Belgium, after the latter crushed its opponent 4-1.

"The Truth" Takes By Surprise

The world stood stunned again before the 'Truth' (the name of the post on Trump's platform 'Truth Social') in which the US President wrote: 'Thank you FIFA for doing the right thing and for correcting a great injustice.' The 'Truth' refuted doubts about the president's interference in FIFA's decision with the certainty of thanking for the 'correction.' As part of the global astonishment, the astonished Royal Belgian Football Association also reacted, expressing surprise at FIFA's decision and emphasizing that the decision contradicts tournament regulations, which state that a player is automatically suspended for his team's next match after receiving a red card.

US President Donald Trump at a FIFA event (AFP)

Aside from the rest of the details—studying available options, appropriate responses, and possibly resorting to the courts—President Trump's 'mediation' to cancel the suspension of the American player sent off with a red card was not unique in the 2026 World Cup scene. Rather, the Egypt-Argentina match and the strange refereeing decisions that some described as favoritism or bias to tilt the balance toward Argentina pushed millions of Egyptians and non-Egyptians to anger, resentment, criticism, and questions about the status of 'courgette,' its news, and the reasons for its strategic expansion and cultural spread.

The Deep Symbolism of Courgette

The question about 'courgette' is a deeply symbolic matter, despite being wrapped in a sarcastic, humorous frame. 'Independent Arabia' in an investigation published in 2023 under the title 'Courgette... A Rotten Fruit with Strong Roots,' refuted the origins of 'courgette' transforming from just a vegetable to a symbol of many life matters. It explained that courgette has shapes and colors other than those cooked with tomatoes or baked with béchamel or even boiled without additions. What experts do not say about courgette is the tremendous power inherent in it, which facilitates stalled procedures, eases suspended transactions, simplifies the complex, softens the difficult for one group over others, provides opportunity to those who are not worthy, and gives much to those who do not deserve.

Until recently, perhaps just a few days ago, there was a belief that certain societies and cultures are pervaded by the certainty that a relative or friend in an important or high position must exploit his position to achieve personal gains for his family, friends, and neighbors, completely ignoring the public interest. This certainty also includes that the 'important' relative appointing or fulfilling the interests of as many relatives, kinsmen, and relatives of relatives as possible, or mediating to tilt the balance in favor of the relative over the stranger, even if he does not deserve it, is a sign of success and distinction, not to mention a duty he bears towards his family, people, and community.

It has become customary in the annual Corruption Perceptions Index for people to look up the score their country achieved; some know they are at the bottom of the list, others know they are at the top. The measure is the prevalence of bribery, the use of public office for private gain without facing consequences, the use of mediation in appointments and obtaining benefits, and legal protection for people who report cases of bribery, corruption, and nepotism, according to the corruption items measured by the Corruption Perceptions Index developed by Transparency International.