Politics Can’t Play Referee: FIFA Pushes Back on Trump’s World Cup Threat

When I first heard former President Donald Trump suggest that World Cup matches might be moved out of “liberal-led” cities because of crime, I’ll admit, I had to pause. Not because the idea was new—he’s made a career out of politicizing everything—but because it rubbed me the wrong way as a veteran, a citizen, and someone who believes deeply in fairness and truth.

Let’s be clear: Hosting the World Cup is a huge deal. Cities around the United States have invested time, energy, and taxpayer dollars preparing for it. So when someone, especially a former President, insinuates that the tournament should be moved as some kind of political punishment? That’s not leadership—that’s manipulation.

FIFA Sends a Message: This Isn’t Political Theater

In response to Trump’s comments, a FIFA official made a rare but necessary clarification: Decisions about where World Cup games are held rest solely with FIFA, not with politicians. That one sentence tossed a bucket of cold water on Trump’s threat—and rightly so.

This moment was important not just because it corrected the record, but because it reminded all of us—football fans, Americans, taxpayers—that the beautiful game should not be used as a political pawn.

Who Owns the Fields of Play?

I think this controversy deeply reflects a bigger issue: the tendency of some leaders to think they own every field, every court, every microphone. But they don’t. These are shared spaces—commons that we, as people, invest in and steward together.

Sports are sacred to so many of us. As a veteran, I’ve seen how games like soccer can bring people together across lines of language, politics, even war. In the barracks, we didn’t care whether the goalie voted red or blue—we just defended our half of the field. It was unity, passion, sweat—it was freedom in motion. Watching it be reduced to a political cudgel is disheartening.

The Real Issues in Our Cities Deserve Attention—Not Exploitation

Let’s not sugarcoat things. Some of our cities do face real struggles: crime, housing insecurity, rising costs. But problems don’t get solved by yanking away opportunity—they get solved by investment, attention, and unity.

Hosting the World Cup could help many cities revitalize parts of their economies, improve infrastructure, and bring joy and pride to communities that are often stereotyped or dismissed. Why would anyone want to take that away for political gain?

We Don’t Heal by Dividing

Over the years, I’ve learned we cannot heal our communities by slicing them up into “deserving” and “undeserving” zones. When leaders target liberal-led cities, what they’re really targeting are the people—the single mothers working two jobs, the kids playing soccer in alleyways, the immigrant families who see in the World Cup a piece of home brought to their doorstep.

Don’t tell those children that their city doesn’t deserve to be part of the dream because of political affiliations. That’s not what America is about. At least not the America I served for.

Let the Game Win, Not Politics

FIFA’s response wasn’t just a technical clarification—it was a small act of resistance to the dangerous game of political posturing. Leaders—past and present—can learn something from that: humility. Sports, like life, demand respect for the rules and the people playing.

So here’s my hope: That we let soccer stay sacred. That we allow our cities, regardless of politics, to receive the opportunities they’ve earned. That we listen when the rest of the world reminds us—this isn’t just America’s show. The World Cup is for the world.

Final Whistle: A Call to Come Together

To my fellow Americans: Let’s not get caught up in distractions. Let’s focus on building safer, more inclusive communities—not scoring cheap political goals. And to those who think they can politicize everything—we see through that.

We’re bigger than our parties. We’re better when we stand side by side in the stands, cheering not just for goals, but for each other.

Because in the end, whether it’s soccer or life—we win together, or not at all.

—Melvin Coates

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*What do you think about politics and sports mixing? Should cities lose opportunities because of political leanings? Drop a comment and let’s talk.*