By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, June 1 -- In the upcoming World Cup in Brazil later this month, nine of the 15 members of the UN Security Council will participate. So 60% of the Security Council's members will be there, while only 16% of the UN's 193 member states will be.
Of the five Permanent members of the Security Council, only China won't be there. Of the Group of 4, only India will be absent. Of countries on the Council's agenda, present in Brazil will be Iran and Cote d'Ivoire, Bosnia and Greece (arguably on due to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia “name” issue).
In Group B, Security Council members Australia and Chile will face off, June 13 in Cuiaba. In Group H, Russia and South Korea will play there on June 17 (South Korea was president of the Security Council for May; Russia is president in June.)
There are few ideological battles, at least in the first round. Iran is not in in Group G with the United States -- G is for Germany, and Portugal too -- and the UK and Argentina and the Malvinas / Falkland Islands dispute are in different groups.
In Group E, France and Ecuador might at least disagree about regime change and the treatment of migrants, when they play June 25 in Rio. Watch this site.
Footnote: In New York, recently Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's golf buddy (along with the UK and South Korea) San Marino's ambassador set up another pick-up game, seemingly including Ukraine's long-time Permanent Representative Yuri Sergeyey, next to Ban's legacy striker Kim Won-soo. To some, there seems to have been even less diversity in this group that at the World Cup...
