FIFA’s previous president, Sepp Blatter, weighed in on discussions about attending the upcoming World Cup in North America this week, saying he thought it was “right to question” this World Cup.
Blatter made the comments in reference to an interview by Swiss lawyer and anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth, who urged fans to stay away from the US-hosted tournament.
“For the fans, there’s only one piece of advice: Stay away from the USA!” Pieth told Swiss paper Der Bund.
On online post, Blatter quoted Pieth and said “Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”
Pieth also said fans would “get a better view on television anyway.”
“And when entering the country, fans must be prepared for the fact that, if the officials don’t like them, they will be sent straight back home on the next flight. If they’re lucky,” Pieth had said.
Several competing countries face US travel restrictions
Pieth’s original comments were made partly in light of the death of Renee Good, shot dead by a US immigration agent in Minnesota earlier this month. Blatter followed up on them in the aftermath of the later death of Alex Pretti.
A few European politicians also mooted a possible World Cup boycott at the height of Trump’s claims about US taking over Greenland last week.
However, most had said the tool should only be a last resort, reserved for a hopefully unlikely scenario like the US using military force to try to take Greenland.
It is extremely rare for national teams to boycott the competition and unheard of in the modern era. The last full qualifier to do so was Turkey in 1950, when it couldn’t afford the trip to South America. After that, the Soviet Union refused to play the second leg of a qualifying playoff for the 1974 competition, which would have taken place in Chile, in protest at the US-backed coup in the country in 1973 that ushered in the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. The Soviet team was disqualified as a result.
But supporters, facing the most expensive World Cup in history, are now also weighing their own concerns amid a prolonged immigration crackdown and travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration.
Almost any fans with citizenship of Iran or Haiti, who have already qualified for the World Cup, cannot attend the tournament because of a US entry ban. People from the Ivory Coast and Senegal are also likely to encounter difficulties securing a tourist visa.
Blatter out of all FIFA events after contentious Russia and Qatar World Cups
Blatter’s critical comments about the situation in the US also raised eyebrows, given his own legacy at FIFA.
Currently suspended from all FIFA events until 2028, he was at the head of world football’s governing body amid the controversial decisions to award hosting rights to Russia in 2018 and to Qatar for 2022.
Blatter ultimately resigned in 2015 at the height of public outrage at allegations of corruption and bribery in these successful World Cup bids, with many also raising questions at his election to a fifth term as FIFA president.
Blatter and Michel Platini, the head of European football federation UEFA during much of his tenure, have been critical of current FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his close relationship with Donald Trump. Platini said earlier this month that Blatter had “become more of an autocrat” who “likes the rich and powerful.”
Correction: A previous version of this article suggested that Sepp Blatter has made the call to stay away from the US-hosted World Cup, even though the call was made by anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth. This has now been clarified. DW apologizes for any confusion that may have arisen.
Source: DW