Citing worries about the behavior of President Donald Trump and his administration, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has supported demands for football fans to avoid the 2019 FIFA World Cup in the United States.
Blatter endorsed remarks made by Swiss anti-corruption specialist Mark Pieth, who questioned the United States’ suitability as a World Cup host, in a post on X on Monday. From June 11 to July 19, the United States, Canada, and Mexico will co-host the competition.
Fans should not travel to the United States for the event, according to Pieth, a Swiss lawyer who chaired FIFA’s Independent Governance Committee during reforms ten years ago, who spoke to the Swiss newspaper Der Bund.
“If we consider everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: stay away from the USA,” Pieth said, warning that visitors could face harsh treatment from U.S. authorities, including deportation.
Blatter, who led FIFA from 1998 until his resignation in 2015 amid corruption investigations, quoted Pieth’s remarks and added: “I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup.”
Concerns within the international football community have grown amid Trump’s expansionist rhetoric, new travel bans, and aggressive immigration enforcement policies. These include restrictions affecting fans from countries whose teams have qualified for the tournament.
Two weeks ago, travel plans for supporters from Senegal and Ivory Coast were disrupted after the Trump administration announced a ban that would effectively prevent fans from entering the U.S. unless they already held valid visas. Similar restrictions apply to fans from Iran and Haiti, which were included in an earlier version of the travel ban.
Calls for a boycott have also emerged in Europe. Oke Göttlich, a vice president of the German Football Association, said last week that the time had come to seriously consider boycotting the World Cup.
The tournament has already attracted criticism from fan groups over ticket prices. Dynamic pricing and unprecedented demand have pushed the listed price of a Category 1 ticket for the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 to as high as $8,680.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino acknowledged that resale activity could further inflate prices but downplayed boycott calls, insisting fans would still attend.
“People want to go, and they will go and celebrate together. We always, always celebrate football together,” Infantino said when asked about Blatter’s comments.
