Donald Trump could soon find himself in a surprising position of power.
With a decision looming on a potential ban on Israel taking part in next year’s World Cup due to its war in Gaza, the president may be able to intervene by leaning on his personal relationships.
The European footballing body UEFA is expected to decide whether Israel will be able to qualify for the World Cup this week. It follows countries including the U.K., Canada, France, Portugal and Australia recognizing Palestine and condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza at the United Nations General Assembly last week.
America will host 11 World Cup games next summer, including the final in New Jersey on July 19.
The critical decision needs to be made before October 11, when Israel is scheduled to play Norway in their World Cup qualifier match. Trump’s relationship with FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, is said to be influential, and the pair have met at least a dozen times, according to Politico.
“We will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel’s national soccer team from the World Cup,” a State Department spokesperson told the Daily Beast.
The Turkish Football Federation has already demanded Israel be banned from the World Cup, while 48 athletes have signed a letter that calls for the country’s suspension, the BBC reported last week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has personally contacted senior football figures in an attempt to shut down any potential ban, while Trump is believed to have called Infantino to warn against stopping Israel taking part, according to The Times.
Trump’s administration says he is happy to be involved in the decision-making.
“We know soccer is so important to so many countries all around the world,” White House FIFA World Cup Taskforce head Andrew Giuliani told Politico last month. “The president knows that better than anybody, and I think he’s willing to utilize whatever he has to to actually create peace around the world.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Trump called out the actions against Israel at the U.N. last week, stating, “As if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body are seeking to recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally. The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists, for their atrocities… including October 7.”
A move against Israel’s World Cup inclusion on political grounds would not be without precedent. FIFA and UEFA banned Russia from all competitions four days after they invaded Ukraine in 2022.
“Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine,” the two organizations said in a joint statement at the time.
Trump floated the idea in May of allowing Russia to play in next year’s World Cup if they ended the war with Ukraine.
“Hey, that could be a good incentive, right?” Trump said, but deflected any decision on their inclusion to Infantino, calling him “the boss” and saying that he personally had “nothing to do” with reinstating them.
Trump hosted Infantino at the White House in August, where he handled the gold FIFA World Cup trophy and asked if he could keep it. “Seriously, it fits very well on the wall right over there,” Trump said. “We’ll put it right below the angels.”
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