Less than two months out from the FIFA World Cup, it has become clear that Donald Trump’s influence is casting a pall over things.
Last week, leaders of hotel associations in New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco — all of which are hosting World Cup matches — told Forbes that the economic boom FIFA promised isn’t materializing. That same Forbes report spotlighted thousands of room cancellations FIFA made in host cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Unsurprisingly, Trump’s racist and deadly crackdown on immigration has coincided with a significant slump in tourism. That might explain why some hotels have been slashing their rates ahead of the World Cup. Perhaps relatedly, FIFA’s Trump-loving president, Gianni Infantino, is reportedly being encouraged to ask the American president for a moratorium on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids during the World Cup.
The inflation Trump has induced through his destructive tariffs and his deadly war with Iran probably won’t help draw people to World Cup matches in the U.S. or the surrounding festivities either. FIFA has already faced backlash over high ticket prices. And there’s an open question about the quality of the experience fans will enjoy if and when they do show up.
Last week, a union that represents about 2,000 hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles threatened to strike during World Cup matches unless FIFA leaders don’t address their concerns about working conditions and the potential ICE presence.
As The Athletic reported, the union filed a formal complaint on Thursday with the National Labor Relations Board accusing FIFA and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which operates SoFi Stadium, of failing to restrict ICE’s access at the World Cup. (The parties involved declined to comment to The Athletic.)
There are some American soccer fans who will tell you they have waited their entire lives to see a World Cup hosted on U.S. soil. It’s fair to assume, however, that few of them expected the opportunity — were it to arise — to be marred by so much controversy.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.