‘Trump effect’ hurting US World Cup bid: report

FIFA officials are reportedly hesitant to vote in favor of the U.S. bid to host the 2026 World Cup due to President Trump’s rhetoric on African countries.

The international soccer governing body will vote next month on whether the 2026 tournament will go to a joint U.S.-Mexico-Canada bid, known as “United 2026,” or to Morocco.

Some officials told the Financial Times that the “Donald Trump effect” is shifting support toward Morocco’s bid, with one anonymous staffer pointing specifically to Trump’s comments earlier this year referring to some African nations as “shithole countries.”

{mosads}Another former European football official told the paper that Islamic nations are wary of voting for the U.S. due to Trump’s proposed travel ban affecting majority-Muslim countries, telling the outlet: “A lot of people are unhappy with the U.S.; it’s the Trump thing.”

Last month, Trump possibly violated FIFA guidelines by tweeting in support of United 2026, saying, “It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid.”

The U.S. has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup. It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid. Why should we be supporting these countries when they don’t support us (including at the United Nations)?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2018

In response to the tweet, FIFA pointed to its ethics rules prohibiting political influence in the bidding process.

Still, the U.S. offered a promising bid for financial reasons, officials told the Financial Times, as FIFA has suffered major losses and had trouble attracting sponsors following a corruption scandal. The United 2026 bid estimated a revenue of $14 billion.

The 2018 World Cup will begin next month in Moscow, while the following tournament in 2022 will be held in Qatar.