Boston’s staging of World Cup matches has already been called into question by U.S. President Donald Trump. He has spoken out against the city’s Democrat major, Michelle Wu, and made his threats following pro-Palestinian protests that turned violent and left four police officers injured. Trump said of World Cup fixtures: “We could take them away. I love the people of Boston, and I know the games are sold out. But your mayor is not good.”
Wu’s office issued an official statement that read: “Boston is honored and excited to host World Cup matches, and we look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to our beautiful city, the cradle of liberty and city of champions.”
Trump has stated that he could declare any host city “not safe” if problems arise. FIFA responded by pointing out that staging rights are up to them, not the POTUS, but Trump hit back with following a meeting with Gianni Infantino: “If somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there's unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni - the head of FIFA who's phenomenal - and I would say, 'Let's move into another location,' and they would do that.”