Sir: As a major fan of the ‘the beautiful game’, football, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of attention the international media paid to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The tournament is starting on June 14, and normally there is a non-stop news cycle about the football and the World Cup this close to the first match. However, things are different this year. Of course, this could be because of all the other major news from all over the world. The elections in Iraq, Donald Trump’s spats with a new world leader every day, threats of terrorism and climate change. With all this going on, it is no surprise that people aren’t paying much attention to a mere football tournament. However, the world has been in constant turmoil for quite a few years. Why are things so different this time around? Could it be because the World Cup is being held in Russia? Major sporting events like World Cups and the Olympics are used by the host countries to project and increase their soft power, which in the modern age of fourth generation warfare, is a major asset. Perhaps this is why no attention is being paid to an event that has never failed to capture the world’s imagination before. Of course, I could just be pulling conspiracy theories out of thin air.But I believe we must always consider all possibilities. YAHYA ALTAF Karachi Published in Daily Times, June 12th 2018.