Trump’s latest iteration of what many call the “Muslim ban,” which denies entry to the United States to non-U.S. citizens coming from six majority Muslim countries, has caught the ire of soccer’s international governing body.
FIFA—which is no stranger to scandal itself—said that the travel ban will hurt the U.S.’s chances of hosting the 2026 World Cup.
The U.S., which hasn’t hosted a World Cup since 1994, is considered a favorite to host the upcoming event, which is the world’s most-watched sporting event.
FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, told foreign reporters: “Teams who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup. That is obvious.”
[RELATED: Attend the Corporate Communicators Conference and receive practical training for internal communications, PR and writing.]
The ban currently calls for foreign nationals from six majority-Muslim countries to be denied entry to the U.S. for 90 days, and for all refugees to be banned for 120 days. Similar to its predecessor, the administration’s most recent ban is being challenged in U.S. courts.
Infantino continued:
We are now in the process of defining the bid requirements. In the world there are many countries who have bans, travel bans, visa requirements and so on and so forth. It’s obvious when it comes to Fifa competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup.The requirements will be clear. And then each country can make up their decision, whether they want to bid or not based on the requirements.
It’s unclear whether FIFA will take into consideration the restrictions’ temporary nature or whether the spirit of the travel ban will adversely affect America’s chance to host the event.
The event’s bid process is still in its infancy—a decision will be made in May 2020.
(Image via)from PR Daily News Feed http://ift.tt/2muEKVF
No comments:
Post a Comment