Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter on Monday suggested he supports fans boycotting World Cup matches in the United States this year due to security concerns.

Blatter gave his support to comments from Swiss anti-corruption lawyer Mark Pieth, who worked with Fifa on potential reforms when Blatter was president, saying fans should stay away from the US for the tournament.

“I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup,” Blatter said on social media.

Pieth cited the killing of protester Renee Good by an American immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier this month as one reason for supporters not to travel to the US. Blatter’s endorsement of Pieth’s comments comes in the wake of the death of a second US citizen, Alex Pretti, last weekend.

  • baatliwala@lemmy.world
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    13 hours ago

    Sepp Blatter was corrupt but he genuinely was in for the love of the game. Infantino is even worse.

    • ragas@lemmy.ml
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      13 hours ago

      Meh, its easy to say the right thing when your billions of dollars don’t depend on it any more.

      • baatliwala@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        No I mean he also really wanted to promote football across cultures and invest into poor nations to grow the sport. FWIW he was insanely corrupt but also somehow an improvement on Havelange.

        For Infantino that is more of a side to the side quest. He has done absolutely nothing for football.

  • plyth@feddit.org
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    11 hours ago

    Every country is cleaning their streets off homeless people before a world cup or olympic games. The US is just a bit more generous with their definition of homelessness. Everything will be fine when the tourists arrive.

    /s

  • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    The World Cup is happening in my city, and today, I’m seeing stories about ICE pulling cars over and arresting people indiscrimately.

    Do not come to Kansas City.

    • w3dd1e@lemmy.zip
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      20 hours ago

      Hello fellow KC citizen!

      I’m in the Northland and the Clay County Sheriff had the gall to say he wasn’t aware of any ICE activity and the pictures were probably fake bc the SUVs didn’t look like law enforcement cars and the agents didn’t have matching uniforms.

      Bro. Have you even looked at the news? We’re lucky if they even state they are “law enforcement” at all? I don’t trust anything the Clay County Sheriff says.

      EDIT- apparently I’ve already run into you on Lemmy bc I already had you tagged as a local, lol. So hello again!

      • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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        20 hours ago

        Ah, hello.

        Yes, it’s bleak. Most of what I’m seeing happening is being reported out via social media by local mutuals and activist organizations, but I have no doubt ICE is up to their fuckery here to some extent.

    • h0rnman@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      19 hours ago

      As another KC resident, I’ll second this sentiment… there is nothing happening here worth the risk

    • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      Ty. I am not planning on traveling, but it’s nice to know. I guess I should start making a “not safe” list

  • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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    13 hours ago

    World Cup 2026 events are also happening in Canada. The expanse of the US without the extrajudicial killings and concentration camps.

    • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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      12 hours ago

      plus all the rape getting undocumenting on the concentration and camp and several “potential SA” caught and uploaded on social media too

  • w3dd1e@lemmy.zip
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    20 hours ago

    No one should travel here for the World Cup.

    How many players are going to get nabbed by ICE due to the color of their skin or their accent?

    • ragas@lemmy.ml
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      13 hours ago

      Imagine a game Brasil against Spain or something. ICE will just lock up the whole stadium and declare everyone in it an illegal immigrant.

    • Taldan@lemmy.world
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      20 hours ago

      Most of them do

      That’s what I hate most about them. They know right from wrong, they’re just willing to ignore that while they’re getting money and power from it

      He could have made real, positive change when he was the head of FIFA. Instead he helped shape FIFA into the corrupt organization of today. It’s only once he’s out that he’s willing to say what’s right

      • boydster@sh.itjust.works
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        20 hours ago

        Reminds me of that old Upton Sinclair line, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

    • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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      12 hours ago

      someone pumped him full adderall just for the statement, then he goes back to his “nursing home” SEDATED,

    • Kjell@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      We thought Blatter was the worst possible Fifa president we could have. And then we got Infantino.

  • jj4211@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    I have a number of colleagues in Europe that normally I occasionally see. Since ICE ramped up last year, none of them have set foot on American soil at all. No one wants to risk even legally being in this mess.

    • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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      12 hours ago

      the first sign was trump harrassing and detaining foreigners, but that seemed to have dropped off the face of conservative owned MSMs(likely it was hurting GOP-states tourism business alot) coincidentally msm also stopped reporting on how bad tourism is doing in GOP controlled states.

  • wuffah@lemmy.world
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    23 hours ago

    If they’re murdering white US citizens in the street for demonstrating and resisting illegal arrest, imagine what they would do to brown tourists.

    • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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      12 hours ago

      they are also likely raping women in thier custody, and in the concentration camps, that isnt being blasted on the news.

  • Sharkticon@lemmy.zip
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    21 hours ago

    Oddly good advice from him. The Administration has already said they’ll be targeting people that come to this. Why you’d come put yourself in danger I do not know.