KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The World Cup is here, and although its opening week in the United States has largely been a success, the political pressure points aren’t going away.
Iran complained about its travel schedule for its Monday match, limited to only one night in the U.S. because of visa restrictions. Cape Verde’s goalkeeper explained that his mother couldn’t travel to his remarkable performance against Spain “for a visa issue, and the money we had to pay for it.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, last week said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement “is going to surge” New York, which is hosting eight World Cup matches including the July 19 final, and also said, “I’m not going to tell you exactly when it’s going to happen, but it’s coming.”
Also this week, the Trump administration has touted a tentative agreement with Iran that would extend a ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lift U.S. blockades, and begin 60 days of negotiations. Though the deal is supposed to be signed Friday, its contents remain unclear.
Front Office Sports spoke with the head of Trump’s World Cup task force, Andrew Giuliani, about a number of topics surrounding the World Cup at the FIFA Fan Fest in Kansas City, where Argentina will face Algeria later Tuesday night.
