FIFA to allow Trump to move World Cup matches if he deems Democrat-run cities 'unsafe'
The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has capitulated to a request by Donald Trump to allow the White House to change where next year’s World Cup matches take place at its request.
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Mr Trump has spent recent months warning that cities under Democratic control, such as Los Angeles and Boston, could be unsafe for people visiting the country.
He points to local residents refusing to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents - who have been rounding up and deporting what they claim are illegal migrants as part of Mr Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Appearing alongside President Trump at the White House, Mr Infantino launched the “FIFA prioritised appointment scheduling system” - which will allow people to quickly apply for visas ahead of next year’s competition.
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At one point during the meeting, Mr Trump was asked about the newly elected socialist mayor of Seattle, Katie Wilson, to which he responded: “If we think there’s going to be the sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city … So if we think there’s a problem in Seattle where you have a very very Liberal/communist mayor … we’ll say ‘Gianni, can I say we will move?’ I don’t think you’re gonna have this problem. But we’re gonna move the event to someplace where it’s going to be appreciated and safe.
Mr Infantino responded: “Yeah, I think safety and security is the number one priority for a successful World Cup.”
He looked to dispel fears that tourists may avoid the World Cup due to the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies, pointing to nearly two million tickets being sold so far.
“We are working together, we have a task force for this and we must ensure that all fans coming from abroad, being here they can experience a celebration of coming together of the sport and this goes only with 100 per cent safety,” Mr Infantino added.
The White House has been clear it will change the location of matches with little prior notice if it believes cities are “unsafe.”
However, its definition of “unsafe” appears to be linked more with which party is in control of a city or state, rather than any measurable crime statistics.
Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said: “We are communicating with all these mayors about what their responsibilities are.
“They know the safety and security of these events is their number one responsibility and we’ll be there. The president’s always there to keep Americans safe but he also makes sure the people that know their responsibilities and that they’re prepared to host these events and do so in a safe manner.”
Speaking last month, Mr Trump hinted he could move matches out of Boston.
He said: “We can take them away. I love the people of Boston and I know the games are sold out but the mayor is not good … she’s intelligent, but she’s radical left.
“If somebody’s doing a bad job and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the head of FIFA, who’s phenomenal, and I would say, ‘Let’s move it to another location,’ and he would do that.”
Which stadiums are staging matches at 2028 World Cup?
United States (11 venues)
- AT&T Stadium - Arlington/Dallas, Texas: 70,122-94,000 capacity
- MetLife Stadium - East Rutherford/New York-New Jersey: 82,500 capacity
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Georgia: 67,382-75,000 capacity
- Arrowhead Stadium - Kansas City, Missouri: 67,513-76,416 capacity
- NRG Stadium - Houston, Texas: 68,311-72,220 capacity
- SoFi Stadium - Inglewood/Los Angeles, California: 70,240 capacity
- Levi's Stadium - Santa Clara/San Francisco Bay Area, California: 68,500-70,909 capacity
- Lumen Field - Seattle, Washington: 69,000 capacity
- Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 69,000-69,796 capacity
- Gillette Stadium - Foxborough/Boston, Massachusetts: 63,815-65,878 capacity
- Hard Rock Stadium - Miami Gardens/Miami, Florida: 64,767-65,000 capacity
Mexico (3 venues)
- Estadio Azteca - Mexico City: 72,766-87,000 capacity
- Estadio Akron (Estadio Guadalajara) - Zapopan/Guadalajara: 44,330 capacity
- Estadio BBVA (Estadio Monterrey) - Guadalupe/Monterrey: 50,113-53,500 capacity
Canada (2 venues)
- BMO Field - Toronto, Ontario: 45,000-45,736 capacity
- BC Place - Vancouver, British Columbia: 54,000 capacity