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President Donald Trump addressed the issue of moving FIFA World Cup soccer matches out of Boston for the second day in a row Wednesday, after Mayor Michelle Wu issued a statement expressing confidence in the current schedule.
Boston and its surrounding communities are currently set to host seven games when the World Cup comes to North America next summer. The schedule includes five group stage matches, a round of 32 and the first quarter-final on July 9.
During an Oval Office news conference touting his administration’s nationwide crackdown on crime, Trump was again asked about Boston and crime.
“Someone said, ‘Would we think about taking the World Cup away from Boston if they don’t fix it?’ 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 set for Los Angeles.
“So if we think LA is going to be bad, that also applies a little bit to the Olympics, but we’re talking about FIFA first. You know, FIFA is very hot,” he said. “If we think there’s any reason, whether it’s Boston or anywhere else, that they’re not doing their job, then 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 call for the games to be moved away from the Boston area over security concerns, after a violent incident in the city last week saw more than 100 people take over a street, resulting in the burning destruction of a police car.
Wu responded to Trump’s threat in a statement to Pakinomist Digital on Tuesday night.
“Boston is honored and excited to host World Cup games, and we look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our beautiful city, the cradle of freedom and the city of champions,” she said.
Wu made the statement after Trump called her “radical left” but also “intelligent” while 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’s worse than her. At least she’s intelligent. You know, some have extremely low IQs. They bother me more. She’s intelligent, 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 on August 22 in Washington, DC (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
“The answer is yes, if someone is doing a bad job and if I feel there are unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni, the FIFA boss, who is phenomenal, and I would say, ‘Let’s move it to another place’, and he would do it. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he wanted to do it right. And now he’s doing it right.
Pakinomist Digital has reached out to Wu’s office for further comment.
Trump has previously suggested he could declare cities “not safe” for the 104-game soccer tournament and change a detailed hosting plan that FIFA confirmed in 2022. That 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 conference in London that it is the organization’s decision where to play.
“It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions,” Montagliani said.
Among them seven games will be played at Gillette Stadium in the Boston suburb of Foxborough, there will be five group stage matches, a round of 16 match and a quarterfinal match on July 9. The news of so many big matches was a surprise to the local organizers.
“The later in the tournament, the more eyes,” said Mike Loynd, head of Boston’s World Cup organizing committee, when the schedule was announced last year. “For us it’s just a matter of excitement … 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 news conference discussing the administration’s crime spree in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
The tournament is expected to bring $1.1 billion in local economic impact, create over 5,000 jobs and generate more than $60 million in tax revenue throughout the region, according to organizers. They also expect more than two million visitors to come to New England during the tournament’s 39-day span.
Meanwhile, Wu has 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 remarks came after the Trump administration warned it could sue or cut federal funding if cities refused to cooperate on immigration enforcement.
