FIFA president Gianni Infantino has provided an update on the upcoming World Cup amid the ongoing conflict between hosts the United States and Iran, who are set to compete
Gianni Infantino has declared that the World Cup will go ahead as planned, without any last-minute alterations caused by the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran. The tournament is now just 84 days away and the war in the Middle East shows no signs of slowing down.
Iran have qualified for the World Cup and are due to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle. They have called for their fixtures to be moved to Mexico after US president Donald Trump said it would not be “appropriate” for the Iranians to compete “for their own life and safety”.
However, FIFA president Infantino has consistently refused to engage with the idea of changing plans due to the conflict between the US, their allies Israel and Iran, which has engulfed much of the Middle East. He recently insisted the World Cup will be a “total party” and has now given the clearest hint that Iran’s team will be forced to step foot on American soil in June.
“FIFA can’t solve geopolitical conflicts, but we are committed to using the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars,” Infantino said at a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich.
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“FIFA is looking forward to all teams participating at the FIFA World Cup to compete in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect. We have a schedule. We will soon have the 48 competing teams confirmed, and we want the FIFA World Cup to go ahead as scheduled.”
Iran’s stance on competing in the World Cup has changed since the war started at the start of March. Minister of Sports and Youth, Ahmad Donyamali, said they would not be travelling for the competition shortly after Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike.
But that stance has shifted, with Iran’s football president Mehdi Taj telling the Fars News Agency: “We will boycott America, but we will not boycott the World Cup.”
Earlier this week, Taj said negotiations were taking place around moving their games from the US to neighbours Mexico. “When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” he wrote on social media. “We are negotiating with Fifa to hold Iran’s World Cup matches in Mexico.”
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum then told a news conference: “Yes. Mexico maintains diplomatic relations with every country in the world, therefore we will wait to see what FIFA decides.”
However, it now seems that FIFA has shot down the idea. Infantino, who has allied himself with Trump – who was awarded the FIFA peace prize in December – has previously stated that Iran are “welcome to compete” at the 48-team tournament. It now seems that it will be on American soil.
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