Latest / Kvetch & Release / 610 CKTB| From Iranian Soccer to the Border: 2026 FIFA WORD CUP's Geopolitical "Pressure Cooker"

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610 CKTB| From Iranian Soccer to the Border: 2026 FIFA WORD CUP's Geopolitical "Pressure Cooker" · Kvetch & Release

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It's Jean. The lightis on Niagara's News and song six' TEN.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Cktv want to get it off your, Chest, well you
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: can text me at nine oh five six eight eight
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: twenty five eighty. Two we've got a lot of great
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: voices on the show, here but one is a real.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Storyteller that Is John, litke and he joins me Every tuesday.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Morning he joins you Every tuesday morning as. Well good Morning,
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: John good Morning.
• 0:23
  Speaker 3: Geen thank you for.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: That oh, ABSOLUTELY i mean it. Too you, KNOW i
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: love what you were telling me. Yesterday we're talking about
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: The iranian women's soccer team and you say it's not
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: a sports story, anymore it's a geopolitical stress test For.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: Canada explain that and give us the latest on the.
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: Story, well for those who might not, know there were
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: five members of The iranian women's soccer team who ran
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: away from THE arirgc handlers In australia and they got
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: we're going to a car. Park they had supporters with
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: them trying to get them, down but nobody knew where
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: these women were at that. Moment and then the rest
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: of their team stood up as well in support of.
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: It but we had heard that The australian government was
• 1:04
  Speaker 3: going to deport the. Team then there was concerns about
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: them facing repercussion In. Iran but that's the that's the
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: gist of. It but with the twenty twenty six Feeth
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: O world up coming up less than one hundred days,
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: away it's the defection of The iranian women's team In
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: australia that has now dropped a grenade into the lap
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: of The North american host. Committee because if you thought
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: in twenty twenty two The World cup And cutter was politically,
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: charged this year is shaking up to be a total
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: pressure cooker and were caught literally right in the middle at.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: All, okay why does it matter for?
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: Us, well it's the asylum. Effect we have already positioned
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: ourselves as the stable alternative to the chaos south of the.
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: Border we've had, reductions but it's still the overplying sentiment
• 1:47
  Speaker 3: of What canadians are. About so with The trump administration's
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: hardline and immigragation stances and travel bands on countries Like,
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: Iran canada now suddenly becomes the primary safety. Valve so
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: there's a risk If iranian players or women feel unsafe
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: or are labeled traders during The, cup they won't look
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: for THE us for, Protection they'll look To toronto And
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: vancouver for.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: Protection and, reality.
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: Reality is what we could end up seeing is a
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: high wave of high profile asylum claims On canadian soil mid,
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: tournament putting The carney government in a really tight spot
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: upholding our human rights record and brand or risking a
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: massive diplomatic follow WITH fifa and THE.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: Us now what's the border bottleneck that you refer, To.
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: Well what we're knowing is that it's taking place In,
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: canada THE, us And. Mexico so with players now fleeing team,
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: hotels you have to expect that security all Across North
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: america is going to go from high to siege. Level
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: talking about more than just checking, Passports, Gene we're looking
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: at a scenario where every team from a high risk
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: nation would probably be under twenty four to seven surveillance
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: by their own minders and local law. Enforcement this is
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: a headache for fans traveling Between seattle And vancouver Or
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: buffalo In. Toronto the defection fear means longer, lines more,
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: security and a likely end to the Promised World cup
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: fast pass at The.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: Boar now you refer To canada when we're talking about
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: THIS fifa tournament coming up as the protest of what
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: does that?
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: Mean canada has a very large non Regime iranian. Community
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: we saw In toronto what was at six hundred thousand
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: coming out a couple of weeks, ago just absolutely. Staggering
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: so because we're perceived as a saf versus space for.
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: Dissidents but in THE us right, Now toronto And vancouver
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: are probably going to become global headquarters for anti regime.
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: Protests so if The iranian men's team Plays North america
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: and The iranian diaspora In canada already massively, organized they'll
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: be turning out at every match and turning it into
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: a referendum on the. Regime, now there's also the cost
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: of policing these high voltage matches that have just SkyWatch.
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: Skyrocketed toronto And vancouver are already staring at a massive
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: three hundred and eighty million dollars plus. Price the need for, defection,
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: proof security and process management is going to blow these
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: budgets out of the.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: Water, yeah you, Know i'm concerned about These iranian women
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: who are heading back To iran because not the entire
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: team was seeking political protection In australia and Even trump
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: offered them political protection as. Well but how it all
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: got started was during their very first, game they refused
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: to sing The iranian national anthem as a protest to
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: what has been going on back in the. Homeland So
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: i'm concerned for the women who are heading.
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: BACK i would agree with you making a very bold
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: choice to go. BACK i mean that they EITHER i
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: don't know what they can. Expect we can expect it
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: to be the. Worst in some, cases we're in the
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: midst of an international. Conflict when they're going to get,
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: there how they're going to get, there that's going to be.
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: Unfolding they just put us seventy two hour clothes of
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: airspace for all international flights Over, iran probably seeing that
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: we're about to see some more massive strikes coming within
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: the next couple of. Days but you, know there's one
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: thing THAT i really wanted to go get To gene
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: is this idea of it being a cause For western
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: feminists and. Liberals and that gets back to me over
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: and over. Again this is a windsor of women's football
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: team collectively staring up to a brutal theocratic. Regime they're
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: risked in their lives in this. Process it's the kind
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: of story of extraordinary courage and it's one that will
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: maybe one day be told in you, know just stories
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: over and over. Again but where are the, Protests. Gene
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: we've talked about this. Before where are the massive protests
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: FROM i would say the western, leftists your union, segments
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: not from the Pro iranian AND i mean non Regime iranian.
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: Community where are the protests that we've seen for the
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: past two plus. Years it is so strange to me
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: that they're not out. There this is such an easy
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: one for. Them why is activism for them just performative.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: Signaling, yeah back to the. Soccer you, KNOW fifa has
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: had its, problems just like years, ago The Olympic Organizing
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: committee had its. Problems and WHEN i say it's, PROBLEMS
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: i mean. Corruption SO fifa always considers itself like The
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: switzerland of the sports.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: World we're. Neutral how do you see?
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: Them, YEAH i mean that's a pretty good way to label.
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: Them switzerland took The nazi, gold, Right, yes the bad
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: guys in the story, Here i'm, sorry they've got nothing
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: to defend when their players are seeking protection From australian
• 6:22
  Speaker 3: police to avoid being sent back to a war. Zone
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: your facade completely. Prombles so, really what it is If,
• 6:28
  Speaker 3: canada THE, us And mexico can't guarantee the safety of visiting,
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: teams or conversely can't prevent players from using the tournament
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: as an escape, patch FIFA's peace prize That trump gets
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: is actually going to look like a.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: Punchline all, Right what is the bottom line when it
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: comes to not just The iranian women's soccer, team BUT
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: fifa and all the teams that are going to be
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: In North, america many of which may seek political.
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: Asylum canada wanted the world stage to prove that we
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: are a legitimate soccer. Nation we're spending boatloads of. Money,
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: instead we're getting a front row seat to the most
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: politically volatile sporting event in modern. History we aren't just
• 7:07
  Speaker 3: hosting a tournament, now we're hosting a potential masked affection.
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: Event, Wow, john you always summon up beautifully. Man thank
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: you so much for this. Today we may be talking
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: to you later on this, week but if, not we'll
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: do it again Next tuesday.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: Morning as, always looking forward to.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: It, Cheers there he, Goes John. Litkey what a great.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: Storyteller he always finds the great, angles