Post by Amnesty International

The World Cup has always been more than a game. As the world watched the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina, celebration and repression ran side by side under military rule. While the authorities projected national triumph, thousands were forcibly disappeared and silenced. Protests challenged the tournament, exposing the political theatre of sport against a backdrop of human rights abuse. Under the World Cup’s global spotlight, the game is not the only thing we’re watching.