A World Cup country’s fans could be ‘banned from the tournament’ by Donald Trump

The tournament takes place across North America next summer

18+ Be Gamble Aware

According to a report in The Athletic, a large proportion of fans from the Caribbean nation of Haiti will be unable to attend their country's matches at the World Cup, due to a travel ban imposed by Trump.

It is important to note that the World Cup is being co-hosted by Mexico and Canada as well as the US, however 60 of the 80 matches will be take place in the Trump-led nation.

Back in June, Trump signed an order banning travel to the USA from citizens of 12 countries, which he justified as essential to “protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people.”

Amongst the list of nations were Haiti, and nationals of the country are banned from the USA regardless of whether they apply for VISAs as either immigrants and non-immigrants.

The decision to ban Haiti was reportedly based on a government report that stated Haitians had a higher "overstay" rate than the average for nationals of other countries.

While the order will not prevent the Haiti team from travelling to the US to compete — due to an exemption for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State” — there are serious implications for any fans hoping to follow their team.

Comments made by Fifa President Gianni Infantino should provide some hope for Haitian supporters.

Earlier this year, Infantino said: "America will welcome the world. Everyone who wants to come here to enjoy, to have fun and to celebrate the game will be able to do that," however no legislation has been passed into law to enforce this yet.

What has Trump said about World Cup cities so far?

Last week Gianni Infantino agreed that Donald Trump would have the power to change the location of World Cup matches over safety concerns.

Trump and Infantino appeared at a joint press conference from the Oval Office in Washington DC where they presented a new fast-track visa application system for fans with tickets ahead of the World Cup next year.

When asked about the matches in Seattle, Trump said: “If we think there’s going to be the sign of any trouble, I would ask Gianni to move that to a different city […].

“So if we think there’s a problem in Seattle where you have a very very Liberal/communist mayor […] we’ll say ‘Gianni, can I say we will move?’ I don’t think you’re gonna have this problem. But we’re gonna move the event to someplace where it’s going to be appreciated and safe.”

Infantino agreed with the president, adding: “Yeah, I think safety and security is the number one priority for a successful World Cup.

“We are working together, we have a task force for this and we must ensure that all fans coming from abroad, being here they can experience a celebration of coming together of the sport and this goes only with 100 per cent safety.”

Back in October, Trump threatened to remove Boston’s status as World Cup host, before making remarks regarding the LA Olympic games.

“We can take them away,” Trump said.

Adding: “I love the people of Boston. I know the games are sold out, but your mayor [Democrat Michelle Wu] is not good. She’s intelligent … but she’s radical left.”

The president then went on to make the following unsubstantiated claim: “They’re taking over parts of Boston. We could get them back in about two seconds. All she has to do is call us.”

It is currently unclear which “they” Trump was referring to.

Also during the Oval office meeting, Trump went on to discuss the 2028 Olympics, saying: “If I thought LA was not going to be prepared properly, I would move it to another location if I had to."

Los Angeles is also led by the Democratic mayor Karen Bass, while the state of California is governed by one of Trump’s most vocal opponents, Gavin Newsom.

At the end of September, when attending a climate conference in New York, Newsom described the president as “an abomination” and “a fraud,” when discussing Trump’s position on global warming.

Speaking directly to his rival, Trump said Newsom “has got to get his act together, before adding: “On that one I’d probably have to get a different kind of a permission, but we would do that.”