FIFA respond after Donald Trump issues World Cup threat

President Trump has consistently warned about shifting games away from cities he considers ‘not safe’ and claimed earlier this week that FIFA president Gianni Infantino would ‘easily’ support his suggestions.

‘We could take them away,’ Trump said, as Boston became the newest city to face a World Cup warning from the president.

‘Their mayor [Michelle Wu] is not good … She’s radical left, and they’re taking over parts of Boston. That’s a pretty big statement, right?

‘If someone is doing a bad job, and I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni [Infantino], the head of Fifa, who is phenomenal, and say let’s move it to another location.

‘And he would do that. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it. Very easily, he’d do it.’

Although Trump lacks the legal power to alter World Cup venues, he can exert influence on FIFA and maintains a strong rapport with Infantino.

Their relationship has grown since the USA was confirmed as a co-host for the next World Cup, and both appeared together on stage during the Club World Cup final presentation in July.

Infantino, who unexpectedly attended Trump’s Gaza peace summit in Egypt, has not publicly opposed the president’s bold statements regarding the World Cup.

FIFA have actually affirmed that the US government holds the authority to assess city safety for World Cup hosting, in light of Trump’s remarks.

‘Safety and security are the top priorities at all FIFA events worldwide,’ a statement from the sports governing body read.

‘Safety and security are obviously the governments’ responsibility, and they decide what is in the best interest for public safety.

‘We hope every one of our 16 host cities will be ready to successfully host and fulfill all necessary requirements.’

The United States is set to host 78 of the 104 matches in the expanded 48-team men’s World Cup, with the rest scheduled in Canada and Mexico.

Boston mayor Wu addressed Trump’s comments during an appearance on the local podcast ‘Java with Jimmy’ on Wednesday.

‘Much of it is locked down by contract so that no single person, even if they live in the White House currently, can undo it,’ Wu said.

‘We’re in a world where for drama, for control, for pushing the boundaries … ongoing threats … are issued to individuals and communities who refuse to back down and comply or be obedient to a hateful agenda.

‘We are going to continue to be who we are and that means, unfortunately, we are going to be in a conversation in a way that is targeting Boston’s values.’

Lisa Gillmor, mayor of Santa Clara, California, also responded: ‘Any suggestion that Santa Clara is unsafe is simply not based in fact.

‘We have been preparing for these games for nearly three years, and we will be proud to welcome the world to Santa Clara for the World Cup next year.’

Trump initially raised the idea of relocating World Cup fixtures in September, pointing to Seattle and San Francisco as problematic cities ‘run by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they’re doing’.

Reacting to Trump’s remarks at the time, FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani stated: ‘It’s Fifa’s tournament, Fifa’s jurisdiction, Fifa makes those decisions.

‘With all due respect to current world leaders, football is bigger than them and football will survive their regime and their government and their slogans.

‘That’s the beauty of our game, that it is bigger than any individual and bigger than any country.’

England secured qualification for next summer’s World Cup after a 5-0 win over Latvia on Tuesday night. Thomas Tuchel’s squad remain unbeaten in qualifying.