Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter endorses calls for fans to avoid the US World Cup, citing security concerns and recent violent incidents.
PARIS: Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has suggested he supports a fan boycott of World Cup matches in the United States this year over security concerns.
Blatter endorsed comments from anti-corruption lawyer Mark Pieth, who previously worked with FIFA on reforms.
“I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup,” Blatter said on social media.
Pieth cited the recent killing of a protester by an immigration agent in Minneapolis as a key reason for supporters not to travel.
He also referenced the subsequent death of a second US citizen last weekend.
“What we are seeing domestically — the marginalisation of political opponents, abuses by immigration services, etc. — hardly encourages fans to go there,” Pieth said in a Swiss newspaper interview.
“For fans, just one piece of advice: avoid the United States! You’ll get a better view on television anyway.”
Pieth warned that fans could face immediate deportation if they do not behave properly with US authorities.
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Blatter stepped down as FIFA president in 2015 amid multiple scandals.
He and former UEFA chief Michel Platini were definitively acquitted last year on fraud charges related to a 2011 payment.
Platini recently criticised current FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, who has a close relationship with US President Donald Trump.
Infantino has “become more of an autocrat” and “he likes the rich and powerful,” Platini said earlier this month.
