Trump Threatens to Move the World Cup from Massachusetts
On Tuesday, October 14, President Donald Trump threatened the removal of the World Cup matches from the city of Boston. Gillette Stadium, home to the New England Patriots, resides in Foxborough 30 miles outside of Boston.
The US is co-hosting the World Cup with Mexico and Canada, Foxborough being one of the hosting locations. Trump threatened to move the matches when on the topic of Boston’s mayor, Michelle Wu, a Democrat, whom Trump called “intelligent” but “radical left.”
Trump said, “[Democrats] are taking over parts of Boston,” but added, “we could get them back in about two seconds.” The conversation stemmed from the discussion of a pro-Palestinian protest that turned violent on Boston Common just a few weeks prior. Four police officers were injured.
What does this mean, falling into the hands of President Trump? It doesn’t mean anything really—in the words of ABBA, it’s slipping through his fingers. Where the World Cup is held simply isn’t up to Trump; the 11 US host sites are contracted with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), meaning that federal intervention could result in significant legal issues less than a year to the kickoff of the World Cup.
Wu recently responded to the threat, stating, “Many, many months of planning now, much of it is locked down by contract, so no single person, even if they live in the White House currently, can undo it.”
Trump’s deportation efforts of sending ICE agents and National Guard troops to some of the U.S. cities have so far received major pushback. His actions have been followed by protests and the vocal defiance of city-wide leaders. Who knows what is to come of his efforts leading up to the start of the World Cup?
