Sepp Blatter, the former head of FIFA, is advising international fans to avoid traveling to the United States for the World Cup due to what he perceives as Trump’s belligerent attitude toward the world and his crackdown on illegal immigrants at home.
Blatter, 89, voiced his opinion on the subject while piggybacking the comments of anti-corruption attorney and former Independent Governance Committee Chairman Mark Pieth, who told the Swiss newspaper Der Bund that international fans should “stay away from the USA!”
“If we consider everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA!” Pieth said.
“You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.”
Blatter quoted Pieth’s comment and gave it his own stamp of approval.
“The United States will serve as the co-host for the World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, with the tournament running from June 11 to July 19,” USA Today reports.
Some activists and politicians in Europe are working to turn President Trump’s attempt to acquire Greenland and two fatal shootings of anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota into a cause to derail America’s scheduled hosting of the World Cup games.
Pieth continued, “The country itself is in a state of tremendous turmoil. What we’re witnessing domestically – the marginalization of political opponents, the abuses by immigration authorities, and so on – doesn’t exactly entice a fan to travel there.
“The U.S. is in a similar security situation to Mexico. In Mexico, it’s the drug cartels threatening violence; in the U.S., it’s a state that’s becoming increasingly authoritarian.”
Blatter, echoing the opinion of an anti-corruption attorney, carries its own irony, given that Blatter himself was ousted as FIFA president in 2015 after one of the largest corruption scandals ever to plague the sport. Since that time, he remained a steadfast critic of his replacement, Gianni Infantino, who has a strong relationship with President Trump.
Whether one views those links as circumstances or “coincidences,” they raise questions about how much of Blatter’s views are motivated by a sincere concern for international travelers and how much by an attempt to sabotage his successor.
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