WASHINGTON.- The president of USA, donald trumpstated this Tuesday that the head of the FIFA, Gianni Infantinowould support relocating parties from 2026 World Cup scheduled in US cities if necessary for security reasons.
Last month, Trump raised the possibility of changing headquarters within the framework of his deployment of the National Guard in cities governed by Democrats, which he justifies due to crime levels and protests against his campaign of mass deportations.
FIFA then recalled that the final choice of venues is its decision, but this Tuesday the Republican president once again mentioned this possibility.
“If someone is doing a bad job and I feel there are unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who is phenomenal, and say, let’s move it somewhere else. And he would do it,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if the games could be moved from Boston, one of the host cities.
“Very easily he would do it,” he reiterated.
FIFA did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment on these statements.
Trump’s comments came a day after he met his friend Infantino in Egypt during the Gaza ceasefire summit.
The head of world football’s governing body was among those invited to this crucial meeting on Middle East peace, attended by more than two dozen world leaders.
Same “law” for the Olympics
This Tuesday Trump also suggested that, if necessary, events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics could also be moved.
“I could say the same about the Olympic Games,” said the president. “If I thought Los Angeles wasn’t going to be adequately prepared, I would move it somewhere else.”
Seven matches of the 2026 World Cup are scheduled to be played in Boston, in the northeastern United States.
On the West Coast, San Francisco and Seattle, also governed by the Democratic Party, will host six games each, while Los Angeles will host eight.
The United States shares the organization of the World Cup, the first expanded to 48 teams, with its neighbors Mexico and Canada, but will host most of the matches on its territory.
Earlier this year, Trump named himself chairman of a White House task force for the World Cup.
