FIFA vice president smacks down Trump threat to move World Cup games

 Donald Trump's threat to move World Cup games "wasn't really taken into consideration," according to FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani.

The U.S. president asserted last week that he could potentially move 2026 World Cup matches out of cities he deemed dangerous.

Trump is at odds with the leadership in many of the 11 American cities that will host World Cup matches next summer. Three cities in Mexico and two in Canada will also host games.

"We’re going to make sure they’re safe," Trump said last week of Seattle and San Francisco. "They’re run by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they’re doing."

Trump doesn't have any jurisdiction over the World Cup, which is administered by FIFA. But the American president does have an extremely close relationship with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, whom he could theoretically push to enact his goals.

But moving World Cup matches with less than nine months to go would be a huge effort.

Speaking at the Leaders Week London event on Wednesday, Montagliani brushed aside any concerns that FIFA may try to move World Cup matches.

“It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions," said Montagliani, who is also the president of Concacaf.

"If I have to react every time a politician makes a statement, whether it's a president, a senator, a congressman or even in my country and Mexico, then I wouldn't be doing my job," he added. "We're focused on the 16 venues and making sure they're ready to go."

On Trump, Montagliani said: "He is the president, fair enough, and words are a little heavier when it's a president, but from an operational perspective it wasn't really taken into consideration."

Despite a polarized political climate among the three World Cup hosts, Montagliani added that the sport was far bigger than any politician.

"With all due respect to current world leaders, football is bigger than them and football will survive their regime and their government and their slogans," the 60-year-old Canadian said.