US border crackdown no threat to 2026 World Cup: football chief
CONCACAF football chief Victor Montagliani played down concerns over a US border crackdown impacting the 2026 World Cup on Thursday, following a flurry of recent cases involving foreign visitors who have been detained or deported after attempting to enter the United States.
Montagliani, the president of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) told AFP he was confident any issues regarding US border policy would be resolved in time for next year's 48-team tournament, which is being co-hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Montagliani said the concerns raised by recent cases at the border -- which have included visitors from countries such as France, Germany and Britain -- were understandable.
But the CONCACAF chief, who is also a member of world governing body FIFA's ruling council, was adamant that any issues would be resolved with President Donald Trump's administration before millions of visitors descend on North America for the World Cup in 16 months time.
"It's a natural thing. Even during the last World Cup in Qatar, I had friends of mine calling me, saying, 'Hey, I'm worried to go there for whatever reason.' And you know, it was all fine," Montagliani told AFP on the sidelines of a sports business conference in Los Angeles.
"I'm confident that once we get there, whether it's obviously the participating teams or their fans, there'll be a methodology to sort that out," Montagliani added.
"Time's on our side with that. I understand the policies of the administration. But I'm confident that once we get to the point where we need to get to, 16 months from now, we'll be fine."
In one of the recent cases at the border, a French space scientist traveling to a conference in Houston was stopped and deported after US border officials searched the contents of his phone and laptop during a "random" security check. The French foreign ministry later said it "deplored" the incident.
Montagliani meanwhile said World Cup chiefs were comfortable dealing with the Trump administration, which has slapped tariffs on tournament co-hosts Canada and Mexico. Trump has also repeatedly described Canada as the US's "51st state".
"If you're in the business of football and you're a leader in football, it's part of our job to deal with any administration," Montagliani told reporters.
"It doesn't matter where you're putting on the events. We had to deal with that in the last two World Cups (in Qatar and Russia) and probably in World Cups before that.
"We're going to have to deal with it moving forward. It's just the reality of putting on international events. I'm sure the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has to deal with that when they put on Olympics. So it's just the reality of it.
"We've got to focus on the event. We got to focus on the sport. And whatever sort of challenges there are, you just deal with them accordingly."
rcw/bb
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
26 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Gavin Newsom Just Launched His Presidential Campaign, Scott Jennings Says
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former George W. Bush adviser Scott Jennings said that Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom just launched his presidential campaign Tuesday night amid the ongoing protests and riots over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in California. Newsweek reached out to Newsom's office via email for comment on Tuesday. Why It Matters Since his January 20 inauguration, President Donald Trump has implemented sweeping change, mainly through executive orders, and has prioritized immigration control as a key pillar within the administration. Trump last month utilized the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law that grants the commander in chief authority to detain or deport non-citizens. The implementation was originally blocked in federal court and sparked a contentious legal back-and-forth. The president also campaigned on the promise of mass deportations and appointed Tom Homan as his administration's border czar to execute his agenda. What To Know Protests broke out on Friday in reaction to numerous ICE raids throughout Los Angeles. Amid the ongoing tumult, city officials including Mayor Karen Bass implemented a curfew for portions of downtown, from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday, and it could continue throughout the coming days if warranted. Los Angeles police warn that people who break the curfew and who are not exempt—like first responders, credentialed media and those who live in the affected area—will be subject to arrest. During a news conference, the officials displayed a map of the curfew zone. Newsom then followed with a formal address to the Golden State, ripping Trump and his administration for inflaming an already combustible situation. "Trump and his loyalists, they thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control. And by the way, Trump, he's not opposed to lawlessness and violence as long as it serves him. What more evidence do we need than January 6th," Newsom said in part. The Democratic governor also denounced any violence or harm to law enforcement, vowing to prosecute any lawlessness. Reacting to the formal address, Jennings, opinion contributor on CNN, told the outlet's Kaitlan Collins, "It's amazing to me, first of all, this guy's the governor of a state and ... it's got one of its most important cities burning, on his watch, and he's out here launching a presidential campaign." Jennings added, "I mean, there is no other way to listen to what happened," he said, still reacting to Newsom's address. "I conclude that he just launched his presidential campaign on top of this lawlessness that's going on in California. He governs a failed state, he sits atop of a failed state, and he sits, I guess, at the leadership right now of a political party that's wanting to coddle the illegal invasion of our country that's causing what's happening." "It's not particularly controversial for Donald Trump to enforce federal law," Jennings said, later adding that Newsom spouted off a "litany of complaints" and it will "look opportunistic" and not "resonate." California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is pictured on June 10 in a formal address to his state. (Photo from Governor Newsom's Facebook) California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is pictured on June 10 in a formal address to his state. (Photo from Governor Newsom's Facebook) What People Are Saying Trump posted to his Truth Social on Tuesday: "If we didn't send out the National Guard—Los Angeles would be burning right now!" Newsom, in a video segment of his speech on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday: "Donald Trump deployed more than 700 active U.S. Marines — men and women trained in foreign combat, not domestic law enforcement. We honor their service and bravery. But we do not want our streets militarized by our own Armed Forces. Not in L.A. Not in California. Not anywhere." Vice President JD Vance posted to X on Tuesday: "Gavin Newsom says he didn't have a problem until Trump got involved. Both of these photos were taken before the president authorized the national guard to go protect our border patrol in California. Does this look like 'no problem'? "Newsom and his stooge Karen Bass fomented and encouraged the riots, because their entire political movement exists for one purpose: to promote mass migration into our country. It is their reason for being. Democratic leadership has no solution for the economy, for prosperity, or for security. They use their power when they're in the majority to import millions of illegal immigrants and when they're in opposition they do everything possible to prevent deportations," Vance continued. "Under Newsom's leadership, medicaid was extended to all illegal immigrants in 2024. This means that he elected to take healthcare from impoverished and disabled Californians and give it to illegal aliens. And now, everything is President Trump's fault? Give me a break. If you want to know why illegal aliens flocked to your state, stop accusing Donald Trump. Look in the mirror. Concluding, Vance said, "If you want to know why border patrol fear for their lives over enforcing the law, look in the mirror. It was your policies that encouraged mass migration into California. Your policies that protected those migrants from common sense law enforcement. Your policies that offered massive welfare benefits to reward illegal immigrants. Your policies that allowed those illegal migrants (and their sympathizers) to assault our law enforcement. Your policies that allowed Los Angeles to turn into a war zone. You sure as hell had a problem before President Trump came along. The problem is YOU." What Happens Next It is immediately unclear if the curfew for a portion of downtown will continue for the rest of the week as the protest and riots continue to unfold.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kluivert tells Indonesia to learn from Japan thrashing in World Cup hunt
Patrick Kluivert has taken Indonesia to the fourth round of Asian qualifiers for next year's World Cup (PAUL MILLER) Patrick Kluivert told his wounded Indonesia side they must learn from their embarrassing 6-0 thrashing by Japan as they attempt to reach the World Cup for the first time as an independent country. Indonesia's dreams of appearing at their first finals since gaining independence in 1945 are still alive after they finished fourth in Asian qualifying Group C. Advertisement They join Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Asian champions Qatar in October's fourth qualifying round, with the draw to be made next month. The winners of the two three-team groups will advance to next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Netherlands and Barcelona great Kluivert admitted that Group C winners Japan were "a size too big" for his team in Osaka on Tuesday. "We need to learn from this big defeat," said the 48-year-old, who took over midway through the third qualifying round. "We're very disappointed, of course, but we have to be prepared for the fourth round, and for me now the most important thing is to look back post-match, learn from it and look forward to the fourth round." Advertisement Indonesia were already guaranteed a place in the fourth round after beating China 1-0 in Jakarta last week. They were outclassed by a Japan team who booked their World Cup place with three games to spare and ended the third round with 30 goals from 10 matches. Kluivert was not helped by a first-half injury to forward Kevin Diks, whose replacement Yakob Sayuri was then substituted 15 minutes later after a clash of heads. Kluivert said Japan were too good for Indonesia but they had to "admit this and carry on". "We tried our best but it wasn't enough," he said. "It was the quality of the players that Japan has in this team. We can talk a lot about it but that's the fact, that Japan was a size too big for us this evening." amk/pst
Los Angeles Times
31 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Amid fears of pending California education cuts, top Trump official says state is ‘at risk'
As concerns heighten among officials and educators about possible pending federal funding cuts to California, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said Tuesday that the state is at risk, but did not elaborate on when a decision would be made or what the cuts could be. McMahon, in a videotaped interview with Bloomberg, was responding to a question about the possible termination of grant funding to California public universities by referencing issues related to Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on gender. President Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold unspecified federal funding from California because it allows transgender athletes to compete with cisgender athletes in girls' and women's sporting events. 'Well in California I think we saw pretty flagrant violations of Title IX,' McMahon said, 'and that is why this ... focus ... was put on them.... We have, you know, men participating in women's sports, which is clearly against Title IX, and the president has made it very clear that he is definitely going to uphold Title IX.' If the Trump administration did not 'address' violations 'as they occur then it's sort of by acquiescence that it's OK to continue and it's not,' she said. The remarks were made during a Bloomberg event in which McMahon addressed a variety of topics, including the mass Education Department layoffs under her leadership — halted by federal courts and appealed to the Supreme Court — and an ongoing battle with Harvard University. Trump has stripped billions of dollars from Harvard and tried to ban foreign-born students and the university has launched multiple lawsuits in response. Reports, including one Friday by CNN, have emerged in recent days that the Trump administration is preparing to withhold wide swaths of federal funding from the Golden State's universities, scientific researchers and K-12 schools. The California State University and University of California systems already face hundreds of millions of dollars in grant cuts from multiple federal agencies, including the Education and Health and Human Services departments. These cuts too are the subject of litigation, and some have been put on hold by the courts. The possibility of further cuts have alarmed some California legislators. In a letter sent Friday to the administration, Rep. Dave Min (D-Irvine) called talk of cuts 'targeted political vengeance' and said 'any significant move to cut federal funding to California would be outrageous, illegal and set a dangerous precedent. It would also have devastating impacts for our residents, whether they are Democrats, Republicans or independents.' He also raised a constitutional issue. 'Your withholding of funds that have been appropriated would constitute a direct attack on the separation of powers that is at the heart of our democratic republic,' Min wrote. The White House did not immediately respond to a request Tuesday related to McMahon's remarks, but in a statement Friday said that 'no final decisions' had been made on funding cuts. 'No taxpayer should be forced to fund the demise of our country, and that's what California is doing through its lunatic anti-energy, soft-on-crime, pro-child mutilation, and pro-sanctuary policies. The Trump administration is committed to ending this nightmare and restoring the California Dream,' the statement said. 'No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the Administration have been made, and any discussion suggesting otherwise should be considered pure speculation.' Madison Biedermann, a spokesperson for McMahon, on Tuesday affirmed the last part: No decision had been made. Biedermann said it would be incorrect to interpret McMahon's remarks as confirming imminent cuts. McMahon was restating the department's position: California is at serious risk of losing funds if it does not comply with Trump administration policies, including banning transgender athletes from women's and girls' sports. Biedermann said any reports about the timing or extent of any cuts is, at this point, 'speculation.' To date, she said, California is under investigation but has not been penalized based on its actions. Reports of imminent — but unconfirmed — cuts have appeared in Politico and the Washington Post. Among the areas of funding potentially at risk are the so-called formula funding programs that are approved and mandated by Congress. This includes Title I dollars that the federal government provides to schools to offset the effects of poverty. These funds alone are worth about $2.1 billion a year to California and about $460 million to Los Angeles Unified, the state's largest school system, where about 80% of students have family income low enough to qualify them for a free or reduced-price lunch. Aid for school meals — totaling $363 million to L.A. Unified alone — also is a potential lever of influence for the Trump administration. These dollars are administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, outside McMahon's jurisdiction. Another potentially affected funding stream is $1.33 billion annually to offset part of the cost of educating students with disabilities — of which $177 million goes to L.A. Unified. When asked Tuesday about withholding formula funding, McMahon again raised the issue of Title IX compliance. 'I think that is part of what we found with the state of California just blatantly refusing to be in compliance with Title IX regulations,' McMahon said. 'So that is one of the tools and the other options that we have with California and I think it's right that we make them aware that that is a risk that they run.' California officials have defended their policy as consistent with state and federal law, prioritizing rights based on gender identity. California sued the U.S. Justice Department on Monday over its demand last week that local school districts ban transgender youth from competing in sports, arguing the federal agency had overstepped its authority in violation of both state and federal law. Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Rolling Hills Estates), chair of the California State Assembly's Education Committee, told The Times that he has kept a close eye on the Trump administration's attacks on public education. 'We know that the hardest hit would be our students with special needs and our disabled students,' he said. 'Also, Title I funding for our low-income students is a big concern.' Muratsuchi said that California's 'best defense' against Trump's actions 'is our Constitution and the rule of law.... The president should not have a unilateral power to cut funding appropriated by Congress.' Muratsuchi also stressed the importance of federal funding to the UC and CSU systems. 'To have the federal research funds cut is tremendously impactful,' he said. The Times' Washington bureau chief Michael Wilner and Bloomberg News contributed to this report.
