Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Monday endorsed calls for supporters to “stay away” from FIFA World Cup matches in the United States due to the actions of President Donald Trump and his administration both domestically and internationally.
Blatter became the latest prominent figure in international soccer to question the appropriateness of the United States as a host nation in a post on X that echoed Mark Pieth’s remarks from an interview last week with the Swiss publication Der Bund.
Pieth, a Swiss lawyer with expertise in white-collar crime and anti-corruption, previously chaired the Independent Governance Committee overseeing FIFA reforms a decade ago. Blatter served as president of the global governing body for soccer from 1998 to 2015, resigning amid a corruption investigation.
In his interview with Der Bund, Pieth stated, “Considering everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA! You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should anticipate that if they don’t satisfy the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re fortunate.”
In his post on X, Blatter quoted Pieth and added: “I believe Mark Pieth is correct to question this World Cup.”
The United States is co-hosting the World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Concerns from the international soccer community regarding the United States arise from Trump’s expansionist stance on Greenland, travel bans, and aggressive measures in addressing migrants and immigration enforcement protests in American cities, particularly Minneapolis.
Oke Göttlich, a vice president of the German soccer federation, expressed in an interview with the Hamburger Morgenpost on Friday that it is time to seriously contemplate a boycott of the World Cup.
Two weeks prior, travel arrangements for fans from two leading soccer nations in Africa were disrupted when the Trump administration announced a ban that would effectively prevent individuals from Senegal and Ivory Coast from following their teams unless they already possess visas. Trump cited “screening and vetting deficiencies” as the primary reason for the suspensions.
Supporters from Iran and Haiti, two additional countries that have qualified for the World Cup, will also be prohibited from entering the United States; they were included in the initial version of the travel ban issued by the Trump administration.
This summer’s World Cup has already encountered significant criticism from fan groups regarding ticket prices, as unprecedented demand and the implementation of dynamic pricing have resulted in the list price for a Category 1 ticket for the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 being set at $8,680.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino remarked on Friday that these elevated prices could also be further influenced by fans with tickets looking to resell them for profit on resale platforms, thereby increasing costs.
“People want to go, and they will go and celebrate together. We always, always celebrate football together,” Infantino stated on Monday when asked about Blatter’s social media message.
Information from The Associated Press was utilized in this report.
