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Widespread political and security concerns surrounding the upcoming World Cup are nothing new and will be forgotten once the first ball is kicked, FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani said Wednesday.
This summer’s soccer tournament is being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the buildup has been complicated by the war in the Middle East, President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and gang violence in Mexico, among other factors.
Iran has said it will not play its scheduled fixtures in the US after Trump warned Iranian players would be at risk, while travelling fans from various countries have voiced difficulties over obtaining visas and fears of being targeted by immigration agents.
But Montagliani, who heads soccer’s North and Central American and Caribbean confederation CONCACAF, said the concerns were no different to those that preceded previous editions.
“The reality of the World Cups — every World Cup FIFA has put on — there’s always been geopolitical issues. Always,” he told the Business of Soccer conference in Atlanta.
“Go back to ’78, Argentina, the junta and all that stuff,” he added, referring to the edition that took place during the South American country’s brutal military dictatorship.
Rights groups say around 30,000 people died or disappeared under the dictatorship, one of Latin America’s bloodiest.
“Right now it’s just magnified because everything else in the world is magnified, whether it’s social media, or whether it’s how the media reports things,” said Montagliani.
“But it doesn’t change our job… It’s a reality of doing business. We deal with it. We will deal with it.
“And at the end of the day, like every other World Cup, on June 11, when the ball starts rolling, somehow everybody forgets about everything else and starts worrying about the game,” he added.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has come under scrutiny for his close relationship with Trump, which has included attending a Gaza peace summit brokered by the US president.
Infantino awarded Trump a newly created FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw ceremony in December.
“At the end of the day, our main goal is to ensure that the security is top-notch, which is why we have to have our relationship solid with every federal government — Canada, the US, and Mexico,” said Montagliani.
“That the fans are safe. That they’re going to enjoy themselves.
“And then once the ball starts rolling, it’s all about football.”