"It reminds me of when I was a kid, playing soccer. It's all about love." Victor Caldas said that after Argentina booked their World Cup final spot — from inside a gymnasium at Rikers Island, one of the most troubled jails in the United States.
He wasn't alone. More than 100 inmates gathered to watch England vs Argentina, on a giant projection screen in a hall decorated with football-themed props. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was sitting among them.
Football as a jail programme — and it's actually working
The screening wasn't a PR stunt dreamed up for the semifinal. The Department of Correction has run nearly 90 World Cup screenings since the tournament began, with around 4,500 of Rikers' roughly 6,600 inmates taking part. The qualifier: 30 days without a disciplinary incident. Good behaviour earns you a seat.
Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards, who was himself once incarcerated at Rikers, put it plainly: "Programs like this equal safety in our jail. What we say to them is that your humanity is seen, heard and valued." Richards knows the place from both sides. That context matters.
For inmate Ralph Veal, locked up since November, the match meant something else entirely. "I could be doing this with my family. My son, he's a big soccer fan, so this would be great for me and him to have that relationship and that bond." Thomas McCoy, 21 months in, was equally struck — but by the catered food. "It's been a long time since I had real food like that," he said.
The wider picture at Rikers isn't so warm
The visit came one day after a federal oversight report painted a damning picture of the facility — smoke-filled units after fires allegedly set by inmates, security failures, and violence described as "pervasive." Unconstitutional conditions, the report said. Still persisting.
Mamdani has committed to closing Rikers under a 2019 city law, though he's already acknowledged the 2027 deadline won't be met. The footballs and projection screens don't change that reality.
One inmate predicted Argentina would go on to beat Spain in the final. "You never know," Mamdani replied. The mayor, for what it's worth, supports Morocco. Argentina's World Cup final odds just got a lot more interesting — and at least 100 people inside Rikers were watching closely enough to have a take.
