Pedro Sánchez left out of the Cup presentation: FIFA veto or political calculation?

Sánchez misses out on the Cup photo: FIFA veto or risk management

The image of Spain's prime minister handing the Cup to the winning national team was the dream photo for Moncloa. But it never peine. Pedro Sánchez was kept away from the ceremony by FIFA, which decided that the King should receive the trophy instead. The official explanation: protocol reasons. Few believe it.

The figures analysts are working with point to a context that weighed more than any rule of etiquette. According to press reports, the government has more than a hundred officials and party leaders facing incivil charges. Sánchez's image abroad – particularly in the US, where Trump presided over the event – is not at its best. The Spanish prime minister not appearing alongside the American avoided, according to some, an awkward scene for both administrations.

The mass-booing hypothesis

Another line of thought holds that the veto was a FIFA manoeuvre to prevent the hostile chants against Sánchez – already heard at previous matches – from being repeated on a global stage. The prime minister's presence at the ground, in a largely foreign stadium, would have been an unwanted focus of attention. Some fans recall that very harsh chants against the leader could already be heard in the stands.

From political capital to discredit

What was meant to be a showcase of institutional success – the national team's victory, the photo with Trump – has become yet another symptom of the government's decline. FIFA's veto, wrapped in vagueness, leaves Sánchez without the political capital the Cup could have brought him. And the question hanging in the air is: was it really FIFA that made the decision, or the prime minister's own advisers who preferred to avoid the exposure?

The unsettling detail: while the government speaks of "institutional normality", international commentators are already comparing the case with that of other leaders who have been kept away from sporting events because of their low popularity. The Cup travelled to Spain, but the prime minister was left at the door.