🔗 Share this article

Former President Trump has repeatedly declared he would urge FIFA to relocate global soccer tournament matches from a designated city based on that city's governance, with the Boston region emerging as the latest urban area to receive such threats from the American leader. Additionally, Trump indicated he would contemplate parallel steps against Southern California for the 2028 Olympics due to perceived safety issues.

Jurisdictional Limits and Potential Influence

While Trump does not have official jurisdiction to unilaterally remove either event, he can apply pressure the organizing committees managing each competition to move host cities.

Setting for Statements

The comments were made during a news conference with Argentina's leader Milei, who was at the executive mansion following the announcement of a $20 billion rescue package for the Latin American nation. At the conclusion of the gathering, a reporter questioned Trump about a latest unauthorized gathering in Boston where law enforcement were assaulted and a patrol car was ignited. The correspondent also asked if these incidents could lead to the loss of organizing rights for the 48-team football competition.

“We could take them away,” Trump stated regarding the FIFA World Cup matches, scheduled to be held at the Foxborough venue. “The city's leader is not good … she is extremist, and activists are occupying areas of the city. It's a significant claim, don't you think?”

Public Gatherings and Ideological Perceptions

Public disruptions, a social media-driven occurrence where participants congregate on urban roads after dark to perform stunts, have emerged as a repeated problem in metropolitan centers since the lockdown closures. Latest such gatherings have become aggressive in the state, including Boston. However, these occurrences are usually not seen as associated with any specific political ideology.

“When a mayor is failing, and I perceive there’s unsafe conditions, I'd call the organization's president, who is outstanding, and say it should be shifted to an alternate venue,” the former president commented publicly. “He will do that. He wouldn’t love doing it, but he'd agree. Without hesitation, he would.”

Organizational Alignment

Gianni Infantino has been open his attempts to be publicly aligned with Trump ahead of the 2026 event, planned to be hosted in multiple US locations across the United States along with several in Canada and three in Mexico. The FIFA president has appeared at various White House functions, arranged for Trump hand over the FIFA club trophy after the concluding game, and has even postponed his the group's assembly to accompany Trump on a trip to the Middle East previously.

Earlier Warnings

This has not stopped, Trump from suggesting the cancellation of soccer matches from different locations. Recently, Seattle and San Francisco faced parallel comments, with Trump asserting both locations were “led by ideological activists who don’t know what they’re doing,” while challenging the safety level of both cities and implying that matches could be removed.

Organizational Statement

The organization's deputy Montagliani rejected Trump’s claims when he commented subsequently at a gathering in London.

“It is the organization's event, under our authority, the organization determines such choices,” the vice-president declared. “Respectfully to national heads, the sport is transcends political figures and the game will survive their tenure and their government. It's the beauty of this sport, that it is bigger than one leader and beyond any country.”

Olympics Threat

Similarly, Trump’s answer to a query about the Massachusetts city veered into a parallel statement regarding the LA Olympic event.

“In case I believed Los Angeles was not sufficiently organized, I would move it to a different city if I had to,” he remarked. “For the Olympics I might have to obtain a alternative approval, but we would do that.”

The permission Trump mentioned would have to come from the Olympic governing body. Their leader, the newly elected president, was selected to her position in spring and has not yet meet publicly with the former president, but she stated that she hopes for a discussion with him at a future time.

Other Remarks

The former president also condemned the state's leader Newsom’s response of this year’s LA wildfires, remarking that a parallel incident could lead to the cancellation of the event.

“In case he is uncooperative, we are going to have to be very tough,” Trump stated.

His statement was just as unambiguous for Boston.

“They should clean up their act,” he remarked. “It's I will say.”