Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes fans should avoid traveling to the United States to watch the World Cup this summer.
The 89-year-old cited anti-corruption expert and law professor Mark Pieth, who chaired the independent governance committee that oversaw FIFA’s reform process from 2013 to 2016.
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Pease said in a recent interview with Swiss newspaper Deutsche Zeitung that President Donald Trump’s international aggression and violations within the United States make it too risky for fans to travel from abroad.
“If we think about everything we’ve discussed, there’s only one piece of advice for fans: stay away from America!” Pieth said.
“You will see it better on TV anyway. Upon arrival, fans should expect that if they do not satisfy the officials they will be put straight on the next flight home. If they are lucky.”
Blatter quoted Peace approvingly in a post on X, adding: “I think Mark Peace is right to question this World Cup.”
The United States, along with Mexico and Canada, will co-host the World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19.
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Trump’s aggressive stance on Greenland has recently triggered calls for boycotts from European countries.
There has also been widespread criticism at home as federal agents killed two U.S. citizens this month in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has led to concerns that foreign tourists may stay home to watch the World Cup. Fans from Iran and Haiti are already unlikely to travel because citizens of those two countries are banned from entering the country.
“The country itself is in great turmoil,” Pease said, “and everything we’re witnessing at home — the marginalization of political opponents, mistreatment by immigration authorities, etc. — doesn’t really entice fans to travel there.
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“The security situation in the United States is similar to that in Mexico. In Mexico, it’s the drug cartels threatening violence; in the United States, it’s an increasingly authoritarian state.”
Blatter served as FIFA president for 17 years before being forced to step down in a corruption scandal that broke out in 2015.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former FIFA executive Sepp Blatter says fans should avoid U.S. for World Cup
