FT Reports Trump Envoy Asked FIFA to Replace Iran With Italy
Paolo Zampolli said the swap would help ease tensions with Giorgia Meloni, while FIFA says Iran will play as scheduled.
- Paolo Zampolli, a United States special envoy, suggested replacing Iran with Italy in the 2026 World Cup to improve relations between the US and Italy following political tensions.
- Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup after losing a playoff, while Iran qualified through AFC qualifiers and intends to participate as scheduled.
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino affirmed that Iran will participate in the tournament and emphasized that sport should be kept separate from politics.
- The proposal to replace Iran with Italy has not been adopted, and FIFA has shown no intention to change the qualified teams for the World Cup.
368 Articles
368 Articles
Donald Trump pushing FIFA World Cup to betray its values and hit a brand new low
Donald Trump and his envoys are already throwing their weight around in an attempt to push FIFA into doing something that runs counter to the organization’s stated values. One of Trump’s envoys recently revealed that the administration is working behind the scenes to pressure FIFA into replacing Iran with Italy in the upcoming World Cup — even though Iran qualified and Italy did not. Reportedly, Trump’s barrage against Pope XIV has not gone down…
derwesten.de
The discussions about a World Cup participation of Iran continue to cook up. Now the U.S. Special Representative delivers a crazy idea.
Washington, Apr 23 (EFE).- U.S. President Donald Trump seemed to ignore on Thursday the proposal made by someone in his environment for Italy to replace Iran in the football World Cup that the U.S. hosts with Mexico and Canada starting in June at a time marked by the war against the Islamic Republic. “I’m not thinking much about that,” Trump responded to the media during an event held in the White House’s Oval Office when asked about the proposa…
There are criticisms from Rome and Tehran for the idea of excluding Iran to give rise to Italy
The selection of Italy, four times world champion, is not interested in replacing Iran in the 2026 World Cup, as suggested by a government official of U.S. President Donald Trump.Iran has not retired from the 2026 World Cup—the selection is preparing to play in the U.S. despite the war in the Middle East—and FIFA has insisted that its parties from the group phase near Los Angeles and Seattle will compete as scheduled in June.The Financial Times …
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