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LetMyPeopleVote

(176,050 posts)
Tue Jan 27, 2026, 02:29 PM 15 hrs ago

Ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter joins those calling for boycott of World Cup in United States

Blatter said on X that it was "right to question this World Cup."

Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter joins those calling for boycott of World Cup in United States
Blatter said on X that it was "right to question this World Cup."
www.nbcnews.com/sports/socce...

(@bennythesnitch.bsky.social) 2026-01-27T14:36:07.413Z

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/soccer/ex-fifa-president-sepp-blatter-joins-calling-boycott-world-cup-united-rcna256080

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Monday backed a proposed fan boycott of World Cup matches in the United States because of the conduct of President Donald Trump and his administration at home and abroad.

Blatter was the latest international soccer figure to call into question the suitability of the United States as a host country. He called for the boycott in a post on X that supported Mark Pieth’s comments in an interview last week with the Swiss newspaper Der Bund.

Pieth, a Swiss attorney specializing in white-collar crime and an anti-corruption expert, chaired the Independent Governance Committee’s oversight of FIFA reform a decade ago. Blatter was president of the world’s governing body for soccer from 1998-2015; he resigned amid an investigation into corruption.

In his interview with Der Bund, Pieth said, “If we consider everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: Stay away from the USA! You’ll see it better on TV anyway. And upon arrival, fans should expect that if they don’t please the officials, they’ll be put straight on the next flight home. If they’re lucky.”

In his X post, Blatter quoted Pieth and added, “I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”
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Ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter joins those calling for boycott of World Cup in United States (Original Post) LetMyPeopleVote 15 hrs ago OP
Seems to be plenty of conversation about FIFA; what about the 2028 Olympics??? ultralite001 13 hrs ago #1

ultralite001

(2,391 posts)
1. Seems to be plenty of conversation about FIFA; what about the 2028 Olympics???
Tue Jan 27, 2026, 04:24 PM
13 hrs ago

Apparently there's a playbook...

"The State Department’s secret playbook for using sports to advance Trump’s agenda" -- Politico - 01/17/2026

"The administration has also imposed new fees on travelers, up to $15,000 visa bonds, from some countries, including World Cup competitors Algeria and Cape Verde. Consular vetters also may have novel grounds on which to deny applicants, including having posted social media comments deemed antisemitic, supportive of terrorism, or hostile to U.S. 'citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.'"

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/17/state-department-secret-playbook-sports-trump-00735496?nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nname=playbook&nrid=0000014e-f10b-dd93-ad7f-f90fcc670002

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