🔗 Share this article

Donald Trump has once again announced he would urge FIFA to pull global soccer tournament events from a host city based on that city's politics, with the Boston region now being the most recent urban area to encounter such statements from the White House. Additionally, Trump remarked he would evaluate comparable measures against Los Angeles for the upcoming Olympic Games due to potential security concerns.

Jurisdictional Limits and Informal Leverage

Even though Trump does not have official jurisdiction to directly relocate either tournament, he can exert influence the respective governing bodies managing each tournament to shift locations.

Setting for Statements

These statements were made during a news conference with Argentina's leader Milei, who was visiting the executive mansion following the announcement of a $20 billion bailout for the Argentine economy. Near the conclusion of the event, a journalist inquired Trump about a latest public disturbance in Boston where law enforcement were assaulted and a police vehicle was ignited. The correspondent also questioned if such events could cause the revocation of organizing rights for the expanded World Cup.

“It's possible to take them away,” Trump remarked concerning the soccer matches, planned to be held at the Massachusetts arena. “She is ineffective … she’s radical left, and activists are occupying parts of downtown. That’s a pretty big statement, right?”

Public Gatherings and Ideological Perceptions

Unauthorized gatherings, a social media-driven trend where large crowds gather on public avenues late at night to engage in dangerous driving, have emerged as a repeated issue in metropolitan centers since the Covid-19 pandemic closures. Current such gatherings have escalated into violence in the state, including downtown. However, these events are generally not considered linked to any distinct partisan agenda.

“In cases where a mayor is doing a bad job, and I feel there’s security risks, I would call the organization's president, who is phenomenal, and suggest we should relocate it to a different city,” the former president said during the event. “He will do that. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he'd agree. Readily, he’d do it.”

FIFA Relationship

FIFA President has publicly acknowledged his efforts to be closely connected with the former president ahead of the upcoming World Cup, set to be staged in multiple US locations across the America along with two in Canada and a few in the southern neighbor. The FIFA president has been present at various White House gatherings, facilitated Trump hand over the Club World Cup cup after the championship match, and has even rescheduled his own organization’s congress to accompany Trump on a trip to the Arab region earlier in 2025.

Past Statements

This has not stopped, Trump from suggesting the removal of soccer games from additional American venues. In late September, the Washington city and the Bay Area metropolis came under parallel criticism, with Trump stating both cities were “run by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they're managing,” while criticizing the safety level of both locales and claiming that games could be removed.

Official Rebuttal

The organization's deputy Montagliani dismissed Trump’s statements when he commented days later at a event in England.

“This is our competition, FIFA’s jurisdiction, the organization determines such choices,” Montagliani stated. “With all due respect to sitting presidents, soccer is bigger than any individual and football will endure their tenure and their government. That’s the beauty of football, that it is more significant than any individual and more important than a nation.”

LA Games Warning

On Tuesday, Trump’s reply to a inquiry about Boston veered into a similar threat regarding the LA Olympic event.

“In case I believed LA was not sufficiently organized, I will move it to an alternate venue as needed,” he remarked. “For the Olympics I may have to obtain a alternative consent, but we'd take that action.”

The permission Trump refers to would need to come from the IOC. Their president, the newly elected president, was chosen to her post in this year and has yet to appear together with him, but she said that she would like a discussion with the US figure at eventually.

Additional Criticism

Trump also condemned California governor Newsom’s handling of the California fires, stating that a parallel incident could lead to the cancellation of the event.

“In case he is uncooperative, we’re gonna have to be firm,” he stated.

His statement was equally unambiguous for Boston.

“The city should clean up their act,” he said. “It's I will say.”