October 6 – Chile is up in arms after being snubbed as joint hosts of the 2030 World Cup by FIFA.
After Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay were picked to stage the opening three matches, Chile was the fall guy, its exclusion dominating headlines throughout the country, even drawing comments from President Gabriel Boric (pictured).
“I regret that there are institutions that operate in such an unserious and surprising manner,” a fuming Boric told a press conference on Wednesday, saying he spoke with the presidents of Paraguay and Argentina who both assured him they weren’t told about the decision before the announcement.
“We’re going to make sure we get all the rights that correspond to Chile because you don’t play around with Chile’s national integrity and name,” Boris added.
Chile have a strong case since they had originally made a joint bid alongside Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay in February yet was the only one of the four not to be given a game by FIFA.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco will stage the majority of the tournament, with all six countries automatically qualifying.
Meantime, Argentina also weighed in, with government officials and the country’s FA insisting the country would “go for more” games than the single opening match it has been allocated.
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