"It was probably fitting that the first call from someone with genuine power should emanate from Germany, long one of soccer's moral centers. The time has definitely come, German soccer federation vice-president Oke Gottlich told the Hamburger Morgenpost, to seriously consider and discuss a boycott of the 2026 World Cup. What were the justifications for the boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s?"
"And between Donald Trump's threats against Greenland, his administration's actions in Venezuela, his various travel bans, and killings by federal agents during his immigration crackdown, clearly some kind of international rebuttal is called for. But whether soccer's authorities are really in any position to do so is questionable. And the cost and ramifications of a potential boycott should be fully thought through."
German soccer officials, led by Oke Gottlich, urged serious consideration of a boycott of the 2026 World Cup and invoked precedents from 1980s Olympic boycotts. Sepp Blatter further complicated the issue by endorsing calls to avoid the United States, and about 20 European federations discussed the possibility. Criticisms cited U.S. actions including threats over Greenland, Venezuela policy, travel bans, and immigration enforcement killings, prompting calls for an international response. Observers warned that soccer authorities may lack leverage, that a boycott's costs and consequences require careful assessment, and that a boycott might not materially pressure the Trump administration.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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