World Cup-2026: “Trump reaffirmed that the Iranian team was welcome,” assures Infantino
Fifa boss Gianni Infantino assured Wednesday that American President Donald Trump had promised him, during an interview on Tuesday evening, to welcome the Iranian selection to the World Cup this summer (June 11-July 19).
“During our discussions, President Trump reaffirmed that the Iranian team was of course welcome to play the tournament in the United States”, co-organizer alongside Mexico and Canada, wrote the Italian-Swiss leader on his Instagram account.
The remarks made by Donald Trump to Gianni Infantino were confirmed on Wednesday by the White House.
Gianni Infantino for the first time mentioned “the situation in Iran”, discussed with Donald Trump, without specifying that the uncertainty surrounding the arrival of “Team Melli” at the World Cup was due to the American-Israeli strikes launched on February 28 on the country.
Reverted to Group G, Iran must play its three first round matches against Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand on American soil (two matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle) and its base camp during the tournament is supposed to be located in Tucson (Arizona).
A few hours before the message from the head of Fifa, Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Doyanmali, on the other hand, questioned Iran’s participation in the competition on Tuesday.
“Knowing that this corrupt government assassinated our leader (the Supreme Guide of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, editor’s note), the conditions for participating in the World Cup are not met. Our children (national team players, editor’s note) are absolutely not safe. Given the harmful actions they (the United States) have carried out against Iran, imposing two wars on us in eight or nine months and causing the death of several thousand of our fellow citizens, it is impossible for us to participate in this tournament,” he declared on Iranian television.
This reaction is in line with that of Iranian officials since the start of the war launched by the United States and Israel.
Just after the start of the offensive, the president of the Iranian Football Federation Mehdi Taj raised the possibility of a boycott of the competition, specifying that the last word would fall to the country’s “sports authorities”.
– “They are at the end of their strength” –
“These events will not go unanswered (…) But what is certain at the moment is that with this attack and this cruelty, we cannot envisage the World Cup with hope,” he explained on Iranian television.
Three days later, in an interview with Politico on March 3, Donald Trump, asked about participation in the World Cup or a boycott of Iran, replied: “I don’t really care.” “I think Iran is a very badly defeated country. They are at the end of their strength,” he added.
Some observers also raised the possibility that the United States would refuse to welcome the Iranians for security reasons, but this scenario seems to have been ruled out by Donald Trump, according to the message broadcast on Wednesday by Mr. Infantino.
“We all need, more than ever, an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, because it shows once again that football unites the world,” insisted Mr. Infantino.
The president of Fifa, the only sports leader present at Donald Trump’s inauguration, regularly displays his closeness to the American president, to the point of having presented him last year with a “Fifa Peace Prize” created for the occasion, the criteria of which have never been specified.
AFP
