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Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter on Monday suggested he supports fans boycotting World Cup matches in the United States this year due to security concerns.

Blatter gave his support to comments from Swiss anti-corruption lawyer Mark Pieth, who worked with Fifa on potential reforms when Blatter was president, saying fans should stay away from the US for the tournament.

“I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup,” Blatter said on social media.

Pieth cited the killing of protester Renee Good by an American immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier this month as one reason for supporters not to travel to the US. Blatter’s endorsement of Pieth’s comments comes in the wake of the death of a second US citizen, Alex Pretti, last weekend.

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[-] MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 155 points 2 months ago

Too fucked up and corrupt for Sepp Blatter.

For Sepp Blatter.

[-] zd9@lemmy.world 50 points 2 months ago

I had to double check if this source was from The Onion lol

[-] dethedrus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 2 months ago

Too evil for that evil motherfucker.

Impressive.

[-] bonenode@piefed.social 12 points 2 months ago

Not even Qatar got that far.

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[-] czl@lemmy.dbzer0.com 73 points 2 months ago

Even a scumbag corrupt clock is right twice a day.

[-] Critical_Drinking@lemmy.world 24 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

He is just jealous that someone else sits at the trough.

[-] AlexLost@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

Nah, that shit is get in and get out with a bag quick. Don't want to get caught with all that loot when shit goes down.

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 5 points 2 months ago

hes mad hes not more corrupt than infantino who gave "jerk off prize" to trump

[-] plyth@feddit.org 2 points 2 months ago

It could be deeper. Some people argue that the Fifa investigation that made Blatter resign were triggered by the US in retaliation for giving Russia the world cup before the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_FIFA_World_Cup (not a proof of my statement)

[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 69 points 2 months ago

The World Cup is happening in my city, and today, I'm seeing stories about ICE pulling cars over and arresting people indiscrimately.

Do not come to Kansas City.

[-] W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 23 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Hello fellow KC citizen!

I’m in the Northland and the Clay County Sheriff had the gall to say he wasn’t aware of any ICE activity and the pictures were probably fake bc the SUVs didn’t look like law enforcement cars and the agents didn’t have matching uniforms.

Bro. Have you even looked at the news? We’re lucky if they even state they are “law enforcement” at all? I don’t trust anything the Clay County Sheriff says.

EDIT- apparently I’ve already run into you on Lemmy bc I already had you tagged as a local, lol. So hello again!

[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

Ah, hello.

Yes, it's bleak. Most of what I'm seeing happening is being reported out via social media by local mutuals and activist organizations, but I have no doubt ICE is up to their fuckery here to some extent.

[-] h0rnman@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 2 months ago

As another KC resident, I'll second this sentiment.... there is nothing happening here worth the risk

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[-] hddsx@lemmy.ca 45 points 2 months ago

It is so strange to agree with Sepp Blatter.

[-] Kjell@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago

We thought Blatter was the worst possible Fifa president we could have. And then we got Infantino.

[-] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 27 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Wow I didn't know he had the capacity to ever be correct in anything!

[-] Taldan@lemmy.world 15 points 2 months ago

Most of them do

That's what I hate most about them. They know right from wrong, they're just willing to ignore that while they're getting money and power from it

He could have made real, positive change when he was the head of FIFA. Instead he helped shape FIFA into the corrupt organization of today. It's only once he's out that he's willing to say what's right

[-] boydster@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 months ago

Reminds me of that old Upton Sinclair line, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 2 months ago

someone pumped him full adderall just for the statement, then he goes back to his "nursing home" SEDATED,

[-] W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 25 points 2 months ago

No one should travel here for the World Cup.

How many players are going to get nabbed by ICE due to the color of their skin or their accent?

[-] ragas@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 months ago

Imagine a game Brasil against Spain or something. ICE will just lock up the whole stadium and declare everyone in it an illegal immigrant.

[-] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 24 points 2 months ago

~~Sepp Blatter suggests~~ fans should not travel to US ~~for World Cup~~

[-] wuffah@lemmy.world 22 points 2 months ago

If they’re murdering white US citizens in the street for demonstrating and resisting illegal arrest, imagine what they would do to brown tourists.

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 2 months ago

they are also likely raping women in thier custody, and in the concentration camps, that isnt being blasted on the news.

[-] Photonic@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago

Took him 89 years, but he finally got something right

[-] TrivialBetaState@sopuli.xyz 14 points 2 months ago

That's strange. I thought FIFA had presented Donald Trump with his Big Beautiful Peace Prize. I am getting confusing messages here.

[-] jonne@infosec.pub 18 points 2 months ago

Blatter doesn't run FIFA any more. And was fine with Russia and Qatar having the world cup, so I'm guessing the principles arrived when he retired.

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 5 points 2 months ago

the current head is Infantino, hes even more corrupt.

[-] jj4211@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

I have a number of colleagues in Europe that normally I occasionally see. Since ICE ramped up last year, none of them have set foot on American soil at all. No one wants to risk even legally being in this mess.

[-] FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 months ago

I know some Canadian idiots still going there

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 points 2 months ago

are they rich A-holes or from alberta?

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[-] baatliwala@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

Sepp Blatter was corrupt but he genuinely was in for the love of the game. Infantino is even worse.

[-] ragas@lemmy.ml 11 points 2 months ago

Meh, its easy to say the right thing when your billions of dollars don't depend on it any more.

[-] baatliwala@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

No I mean he also really wanted to promote football across cultures and invest into poor nations to grow the sport. FWIW he was insanely corrupt but also somehow an improvement on Havelange.

For Infantino that is more of a side to the side quest. He has done absolutely nothing for football.

[-] Flauschige_Lemmata@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

Did they stop paying his bribes or something?

[-] ragas@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 months ago

Of course! He already got his golden parachute. Nobody cares what he says any more.

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[-] zd9@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

Man, this summer is going to be HOT. More people come out to protest when it's warm + tons and tons of foreign nationals for the World Cup + lead up to midterms = crazy shit. This summer is going to be history, not in a good way.

[-] hOrni@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

Just in case You weren't aware of how bad it is right now, this.

[-] Sharkticon@lemmy.zip 8 points 2 months ago

Oddly good advice from him. The Administration has already said they'll be targeting people that come to this. Why you'd come put yourself in danger I do not know.

[-] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

What, giving Krasnov a bullshit award didn't work?

[-] TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 months ago

That wasn't Blatter it was Infantino, Blatter is suspended for corruption.

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[-] plyth@feddit.org 5 points 2 months ago

Every country is cleaning their streets off homeless people before a world cup or olympic games. The US is just a bit more generous with their definition of homelessness. Everything will be fine when the tourists arrive.

/s

[-] adespoton@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 months ago

World Cup 2026 events are also happening in Canada. The expanse of the US without the extrajudicial killings and concentration camps.

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 points 2 months ago

plus all the rape getting undocumenting on the concentration and camp and several "potential SA" caught and uploaded on social media too

[-] FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

A part of me thinks absolutely nothing will happen at the world cup and the nazis will relax their usual terror tactics just because it's the world cup. A part of me thinks the world cup will be a shitshiw with fans and players being arrested or killed in the middle of, or before and after, games

[-] Slashme@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Nazi Germany successfully held the Olympics, so I'm sure they'll get ICE to chill during the world cup.

[-] RoidingOldMan@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

People within the USA generally do not know what the world cup is. I don't expect any preferential treatment.

[-] adespoton@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 months ago

ICE: “World Cup? Sounds foreign.”

[-] CallMeAnAI@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

I think they should, and start some shit with ice.

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this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2026
542 points (99.5% liked)

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