THE CHEAP SEATS from STEVE CAMERON: Just enjoy the World Cup — despite all the stuff behind the scenes

If you follow this column, you know that I’m a soccer fan.

True enough, and I was thrilled just three weeks ago when Arsenal — the club I’ve supported for more than 25 years — clinched the English Premier League championship.

On top of that, FIFA’s World Cup is starting next week with the United States, Canada and Mexico as hosts.

For a soccer junkie watching Arsenal prove to be one of the best club teams on the planet — and finally getting to see my sport gain real popularity here at home — I should be tingling along with one explosion of excitement after another.

Unfortunately, soccer is on the edge of being ruined by the alleged crooks who run it.

Here we are, prepared to entertain teams from every continent, and the big news is flat-out ugly.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been summoned to testify before Congress on the matter of organized price gouging.

Ticket availability apparently has been artificially manipulated, and costs to sponsors and assorted “fat cats” have soared up to $33,000 for the Cup final at the Meadowlands across the river from New York City.

FIFA HAS been compared to a mob organization, manipulating worldwide soccer more like a sleazy dockworkers’ union than a sport loved by devotees of all ages from all countries.

“FIFA is run like a sequel to the Godfather,” said California representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove, whose district encompasses World Cup games and associated activities in Los Angeles.

Kamlager-Dove and 69 other members of Congress sent a letter to FIFA, demanding information on various parts of the organization’s business.

“The more you see these people operate, with the lack of transparency,” Kamlager-Dove said, “the more you feel it’s a total shakedown.”

Infantino was forced to admit that FIFA could pocket up to $11 billion from the World Cup, and his only defense was that money would be invested in the grassroots game — especially in places where there isn’t enough money for top-of-the-line facilities and coaching.

Exactly how those billions might be distributed is a mystery, though, and that lack of transparency is part of what interests Congress.

FIFA has run into political problems before, and mostly has just steamrolled over any issues that could have caused difficulty.

Everyone connected with the World Cup concedes that FIFA and its agents simply paid off voters to put the 2022 Cup in tiny (but rich) Qatar.

A stream of human rights organizations fought to change or cancel the Qatari method of holding workers’ passports — sort of a document hostage.

Meanwhile, Infantino does the smooth work.

FIFA holds hands with public officials in endless constituencies, and last December, Infantino presented Donald Trump with FIFA’s “First Annual World Peace Award.”

Yes, really.

BESIDES the ticket deals, the payoffs and other business that’s been done in gilded offices, next month’s World Cup also has brought law enforcement into the picture.

It turns out that soccer is just about the easiest sport for illegal gambling.

In the United States (and other countries where soccer is not the golden goose), most wagering is pretty straightforward.

In a giant event like the Super Bowl, bettors put money down on teams to win, players to score and so forth.

In “soccer countries,” however, the types of betting available are almost absurd.

For instance, a midfielder named Granit Xhaka was one of my favorite players at Arsenal.

Out of nowhere, it seemed, he was accused of participating in a “spot bet.”

Granit ultimately was cleared of any wrongdoing, but I learned about a whole new way of exchanging money.

For instance, you can wager that a particular player will kick the ball out of play in the first 10 minutes of the game (or in any given period).

One kick that’s barely out of play doesn’t impact who wins or loses, but you can win or lose a bet on it.

It would be like betting that a punt goes out of bounds in an American football game.

Simple.

A midfielder (like Xhaka) has the ball a lot, so one loose pass rarely looks unusual.

Wagering is legal in many European countries (and practiced elsewhere, legal or not), so authorities are out in droves to keep this World Cup “clean.”

Sigh.

Good luck with that.

No other sport brings out the whole world.

Bottom line: Just enjoy the games.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”