By Andrew Warshaw
March 9 – Donald Trump’s controversial immigration policies could potentially undermine a United States bid for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino warned today.
The US hosted the World Cup in 1994 and is regarded as the favourite to land the 2026 tournament, possibly in a joint bid with Mexico and Canada, though with Trump’s promise of a wall between the US and Mexico a joint proposal currently looks like meeting an insurmountable obstacle.
Bids have to be submitted by December 2018, with the host to be decided in May 2020.
Although Trump’s original executive order banning those from seven Muslim-majority countries has been softened and replaced by a less draconian mandate, Infantino said any travel ban in place at the time of bidding would be not be taken lightly by FIFA.
“When it comes to the bidding process, we are in the process of defining the bid requirements,” Infantino told a press conference following FIFA’s final “executive summit” with member federations, a series of talk shops to debate future strategy.
“What is obvious is that when it comes to the World Cup and FIFA competitions, any team who would qualify – including supporters and officials – need to have access. Otherwise there is no World Cup. The requirements will be clear. And then each country can make up their mind whether they want to bid or not based on the requirements.”
Infantino was also asked to comment on why FIFA appears to be dragging its feet over deciding whether to allow under-fire Russian World Cup supremo Vitaly Mutko to stand for election next month for a place on the all-powerful FIFA Council.
UEFA insiders have confirmed to Insideworldfootball that no ruling has yet been declared by FIFA as to whether Mutko, who is among the candidates for five European vacancies on the FIFA Council despite his alleged role in Russia’s damning doping scandal, has passed the necessary integrity test ahead of the April 5 elections.
Mutko’s case is further compromised by the fact that he not only heads Russia’s 2018 World Cup organising committee and the country’s national football federation but last October was promoted from Sports Minister to Deputy Prime Minister.
Such is the sensitivity of the Mutko issue given Russia’s hosting of the World Cup and FIFA’s need not to rock the boat that Infantino side-stepped direct questions about whether FIFA were giving him preferential treatment.
“We have independent committees to make these eligibility checks. Good governance is respected in our rules. These bodies are there to make their own decisions without interference from anyone whatever the FIFA president thinks or doesn’t think. It’s not up to me to make a judgement.”
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