In the World Cup draw, FIFA gave the President of the United States a Peace Prize. In return, he got a big problem because of a war started by Donald Trump.
Does Gianni Infantino think about the irony of his choice, or does he miss when the big controversy about the next World Cup was the fact that it had been expanded to 48 teams?
Three months before the World Cup, the FIFA president may be facing a rare problem: the boycott of a qualified team. Withdrawals, bans, political interference in the sport were part of the tournament’s history. But there is no recent precedent for this type of situation, so short notice.
The attack by the United States and Israel on Iran is two weeks old. Now, the Iranian team’s participation is at risk. The country’s Sports Minister said that the team will not go to the World Cup. The president of the Football Federation – who officially has the final say – made a similar threat.
Trump had first said that he didn’t care if Iran didn’t go, but that the players were welcome (not fans, because Iran is one of the countries on a list whose citizens are banned from entering the United States). Then he said that, thinking about their lives, and for their safety, it would be better if they didn’t go. The Iranian team responded by saying that the United States should be excluded. The exchange of barbs continues.
It was unclear whether Trump’s “concern” was for the athletes inside the United States or when they return home. If it is the first option, it demonstrates the extreme incompetence of the host country and an almost unprecedented reaction from a World Cup host: disdain for the well-being of the players.
But if Iran does give up, who will take its place?
FIFA’s regulations for the World Cup say that the entity has the autonomy to choose the substitute, that is, it would not need to be a team from the same continent. But it makes sense that it is, and I imagine they don’t want to complicate things further.
As Iran qualified through the Asian qualifiers, the most likely candidate would be Iraq, which will compete this month in the playoffs that define the final places for the World Cup. If they qualify, the United Arab Emirates would be next in line. But that’s if Iraq travels to Mexico to play, which is not possible today. The Iraqi team had to cancel training in the United States and asked FIFA to postpone the game. There was still no response.
Regardless of how bloodthirsty the Iranian regime is, or which side you are on in this war, it is the duty of anyone who organizes a major sporting event to ensure the safety of everyone traveling to the host country. If this is not possible, the organization that governs the competition, in this case FIFA, should take a stand and think of a plan B. Will this happen? Given Infantino’s track record of pleasing Trump, of course not.
On the eve of this extremely politicized World Cup, for now Iran’s debut is still scheduled for June 15th, in Los Angeles, against New Zealand. They still play in the group stage against Belgium and Egypt. And as there is nothing so bad that it can’t get worse, if Iran and the United States finish second in their respective groups, they will face each other in the next phase.
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