Former FIFA president urges fans to boycott World Cup

Sports Desk
The World Cup is just a few months away, but the controversy has already begun. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter himself has advised fans not to travel to America this year due to security concerns. On Monday, he made it clear that he agrees with calls for a boycott of the World Cup in America.

Anti-corruption lawyer Mark Pith, who was once involved with Blatter in the FIFA reform effort, recently urged fans not to travel to America for the World Cup. Blatter has echoed that sentiment. He wrote on social media, “I think Mark Pith did the right thing by questioning this World Cup.”

But why this reluctance? Mark Pith has mainly brought up the issue of internal security and human rights violations in America. In January of this year, a protester named Renee Goode was killed by an immigration officer in Minneapolis. Last weekend, another American citizen named Alex Pretty was killed. Using all these incidents as a tool, Pith claims that the current situation in America is not safe for tourists.

The World Cup is scheduled to be held jointly in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. But Pith fears that, “political opponents are now being cornered in that country, and the immigration department is being grossly abused. In this situation, fans should not be encouraged to go there.” His direct advice to fans is, “Avoid America! It would be much better to watch the game on television instead.” He even warned that if fans get a little sidetracked with the administration after landing at the airport, they could be immediately sent back to their country.

Blatter was forced to resign in 2015 after a massive corruption scandal broke out within FIFA. Gianni Infantino took over. Although Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini were acquitted of a 2 million Swiss franc bribery case last year, the fight off the field continues. Platini has also spoken out about the closeness between current FIFA president Infantino and outgoing US President Donald Trump. According to him, Infantino has now become too ‘autocratic’ and only cares about the rich and powerful.

The former chief’s comments, in the face of the World Cup being played in Dhaka, have created quite a stir in world football. Now, let’s see how far this controversy will go before the fight on the field begins. Just as we have seen a lot of criticism of Mustafizur Rahman’s team’s performance in cricket lately, the football world is now looking at this administrative setback.