France and Germany have said that they would not boycott FIFA World Cup matches in the USA even as Donald Trump threatened them with tariffs.
France and Germany have said that their governments are not in favour of boycotting the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States of America, despite the American president, Donald Trump, threatening tariffs against them. Trump has been quite vocal against eight European countries, including France and Germany, and also threatened them with tariffs as they protest his efforts to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Trump’s boorish behaviour has led to a few politicians in Europe demanding that the USA be stripped of the hosting rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The USA will be jointly hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico, but the majority of matches will be taking place in States.
France, Germany don’t want to boycott FIFA World Cup in US
France’s sports minister Marina Ferrari has said that the French government has no plans to boycott the World Cup as sports must be kept away from politics.
“As it stands now, there is no desire from the ministry for a boycott of this great competition,” Marina Ferrari said. “Now, I will not anticipate what could happen, but I have also heard voices raised from certain political blocs.
“I am one who believes in keeping sport separate [from politics]. The World Cup is an extremely important moment for those who love sport.”
Christiane Schenderlein, the state minister for sports in Germany, had earlier said that the decision to boycott a tournament has to be taken by the sports federation.
“Decisions on participation or boycotts at major sporting events lie solely with the competent sports associations, not with politicians. This assessment should therefore be made by the respective associations – in this case, the German FA and FIFA,” she said.
Trump walks back on tariffs threat
Meanwhile, Trump on Wednesday walked back on his threat, saying that he will not levy 10% from 1 February on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland.
The change in Trump’s tone came after a meeting with NATO secretary Mark Rutte, post which the US president claimed that he had formed “the framework” of a deal over Greenland, but did not provide any further information.
“Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1,” Trump said.
Trump added that the discussion included a US missile defense shield, which in part would be based in Greenland.
It has also been reported that European football federation members recently held an informal talk on
how to deal with Trump’s threat to annex Greenland, but no final decision was taken. But now that Trump is walking back on his threat, no further discussions will be required among UEFA (European football association) members.
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