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President Donald Trump on Wednesday addressed the issue of moving FIFA World Cup matches out of Boston for the second day in a row, after Mayor Michelle Wu made a statement expressing confidence in the current schedule.
Boston and its surrounding communities will currently host seven matches when the World Cup comes to North America next summer. The schedule includes five group stage matches, a round of 32 match and the first quarter-final on July 9.
During an Oval Office news conference touting his administration’s nationwide crackdown on crime, Trump was asked again about Boston and crime.
“Someone said, ‘Would we think about taking the World Cup away from Boston if they don’t fix things?’ The answer is yes. “We have the right to do that with FIFA,” Trump said.
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Trump said the same thinking applies to the 2028 Summer Olympics, which are currently scheduled for Los Angeles.
“So if we think Los Angeles is going to be bad, that applies a little bit to the Olympics as well, but first we’ll talk about FIFA. You know, FIFA is very trendy,” he said. “If we think there’s some reason, whether it’s in Boston or anywhere else, why they’re not doing their job, we’ll take those World Cup games and move them somewhere else.”
On Tuesday, Trump initially said he would consider calling FIFA president Gianni Infantino to urge that the games be moved out of the Boston area for security reasons, after a violent incident in the city last week saw more than 100 people take to a street, resulting in the destruction of a police car.
Wu responded to Trump’s threat in a statement to Pak Gazette Digital on Tuesday night.
“Boston is honored and excited to host World Cup matches, and we look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our beautiful city, the cradle of freedom and the city of champions,” he said.
Wu made the statement after Trump called her “radical left” but also “smart” in making the initial threats.
“We can take them away. I love the people of Boston. And I know the games are sold out, but the mayor is no good. There are worse than her. At least she’s smart. You know, some of them have extremely low IQs. Those bother me the most. She’s smart, but she’s radical left,” Trump said.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino (right) presents the FIFA World Cup Winners’ Trophy to President Donald Trump during an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House, August 22, in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
“The answer is yes, if someone is doing a bad job and I feel there are unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the director of FIFA, who is phenomenal, and say, ‘Let’s move him to another location,’ and he would do it. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he would do it, he would very easily do it. And this is the right time to do it.”
Pak Gazette Digital has reached out to Wu’s office for further comment.
Trump has previously suggested he could declare cities “unsafe” for the 104-game soccer tournament and alter a detailed hosting plan that FIFA confirmed in 2022. Includes games at NFL stadiums near New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani said earlier this month at a sports business conference in London that it is the organization’s decision where matches are played.
“It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions,” Montagliani said.
among the seven games To be played at Gillette Stadium in the Boston suburb of Foxborough, there will be five group matches, a round of 32 match and a quarterfinal match on July 9. The news of so many big games came as a surprise to local organizers.
“The later the tournament goes, the more eyes there will be,” Mike Loynd, head of the Boston World Cup organizing committee, said when the schedule was announced last year. “For us, it’s just a matter of emotion… For us, it’s a perfect schedule. I don’t think FIFA could have done a better job.”
President Donald Trump speaks as FBI Director Kash Patel looks on during a press conference on the administration’s crime crackdown in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
The tournament is expected to generate $1.1 billion in local economic impact, create more than 5,000 jobs and generate more than $60 million in tax revenue across the region, according to organizers. They also expect more than two million visitors to come to New England during the 39 days of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Wu previously accused the Trump administration of being a party that “does not follow the law.”
“At a time when this federal administration is already causing so much fear and harm in our communities, these threats are serious and consequential,” Wu said in August.
The comments came after the Trump administration warned it could sue or cut federal funding if cities refused to cooperate in immigration enforcement.
