To think the World Cup should be cancelled now?

[AnnaQuayRules]

Apologies if there's already a thread but I've looked and can't find one.

The (mens) Football World Cup starts in June, in the USA. Surely it shouldn't go ahead? Iran is one of the qualifying countries!

I can't see how the tournament should or could go ahead. AIBU?

On what basis?

you haven’t really explained why it should be cancelled except to say Iran has qualified? Why can’t it go ahead?

Reasons to stop it

ICE targeting matches
Massive instability in the middle east potentially leading to terrorist attacks
Iran may not be able to play
Cancelling it will really piss of Trump

Fair point

Because it will be a huge target for terrorist attacks

It would have been beforehand too

FIFA does not care. They've already held World Cups in dubious places.

If you're cancelling a World Cup because (unspecified) terrorists might attack people then the (unspecified) terrorists have won

When Trump declared that not every team's fans would be able to get visas, it should have been cancelled. It should have been awarded to the UK. We need to call football to account. It shouldn't go to the ME/UAE. We need the revenue. It should be shared around Europe. It shouldn't be cancelled.

And the ongoing fallout from Mexican drugs cartels, the completely bonkers Canadian compulsory state theology of gendery postmodernism (or risk a massive fine), and the protests & boycotts & disorder that’ll inevitably take place.

Nah. I can’t imagine Iran can or will participate but they should just adjust accordingly or invite a runner up team instead.

You can’t cancel everything that might be a terror attack target. And with the financial stakes involved I very very much doubt it’ll be cancelled.

Too many people have paid too much to cancel it.

Obviously I’d prefer the war to be cancelled.

Everywhere in the US will be a target for terrorist attacks now.

Should they cancel everything?

I think many will watch it but a lot less than normal. I’d typically watch 20-30 games but the fact that A) it’s now a bloated format with 48 teams and B) the Trump love in factor - means that I’ll watch a lot less.

England games and a few others I guess, but it just doesn’t have that positive buzz that most previous competitions have. There’s a sordid political feel to the whole thing now thanks to the orange man. And the 48 team thing is stupid anyway.

I really hope not

Just hold all of it in Canada or Central America and cancel the US venues.

I really think it will be a terrible one though with poorer viewing figures than usual. People are sick of FIFA, sick of Trump and sick of the US. Throw the stupid, bloated 48 team format on top of that, and good luck.

Seeing as "Johnny" infantino is a trump acolyte and is looking to copy his crypto meme coin grifting ways it's absolute pie in the sky to think anything will be allowed to disrupt it.

Fully expecting FIFA to justify banning Iran from international football to please Trump

Gotta keep the FIFA peace prize winner happy in his nappy!

I don't get it, OP. I'm not a football fan, but I see no reason to deny those people who are.
All major sporting events are terrorist targets (Munich Olympics, anyone?), but that's not a reason to cancel them - they absolutely must go ahead, to demonstrate to the potential terrorists that they cannot win.

They won't cancel it. Maybe if it was in the middle east like the last one they might.

Or they might shift it somewhere else if it were in a war zone as there is a lot of money to be made out of it.

So be careful what you wish for. The UK/England is probably one of the few countries in the world that could take on a world cup at short notice.

The Head of FIFA gave DT their "peace prize" medal.

It will be a carnival of shallow spectacle with scant relation to actual "sport" as parts of the globe continue to burn under the star-spangled, blood-soaked banner.

YANBU though, @DeftGoldHedgehog has it right; cancel the US Venues and relocate all to Central America/Canada.

What about when the terrorists are one of the hosts?

As long as the people who have bribed and blagged get their whack, do you think FIFA gives a shit about the game ? Even now they are looking at "How can we make more money with less football".

The head of FIFA is Trump's bitch, or is Trump his bitch?