U.S. soccer fans who were hoping for a "slight return," will have to have wait and see if their President's words were in violation of a strict FIFA code. The U.S. Soccer Federation has been campaigning with Mexico and Canada on a joint North American bid for the hosting privileges of the 2026 World Cup. Decisions of the like are often made several years, to incur the costs of preparation.
In tweeting his support of the bid, Donald Trump may have committed illegal tampering. FIFA rules prohibit "any undue influence on the outcome," for their decision making process. The irony is that a cleaning of house never occurred after FIFA broke their own mandates in 2015. The FIFA Corruption Scandal uncovered several accepted bribes from high ranking officials, one of which counted towards the 2010 South Africa bid to the tune of $10 million.
FIFA issued a statement pointing to the general rule book, in response to Trump's public endorsement: "As a general rule, we cannot comment on specific statements in connection with the bidding process."
"We can only refer to the FIFA Regulations for the selection of the venue for the final competition of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and in particular to the Bid Rules of Conduct incorporated therein." Their statement does not necessarily read as a denunciation, but if the proposed bid falls through, we'll know where to point. Thank you Mr. President.
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