Blatter calls for US World Cup boycott, but critics say FIFA’s moral compass is broken

When disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter calls for a boycott, irony is unavoidable.

Blatter has urged football fans to stay away from the 2026 World Cup in the United States, citing security concerns, alleged abuses by immigration authorities and what he describes as a hostile political climate under President Donald Trump.

It is a striking intervention from a man whose own FIFA presidency was synonymous with corruption, and who oversaw tournaments in Russia and Qatar despite serious human rights concerns.

A broken clock moment?

Sports journalist and author John Carlin, who has written extensively on FIFA corruption, says Blatter’s call cannot be separated from his past, but that does not automatically make it wrong.

“I never thought I’d say this, but on this one I’m with him,” Carlin said. “I’m all for cancelling the World Cup in America because of everything ghastly Donald Trump represents.”

Carlin argues that the tournament would inevitably become a political stage, regardless of FIFA’s insistence that sport and politics should not mix.

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FIFA and power

Under current FIFA president Gianni Infantino, critics say the organisation appears even more openly aligned with global political power.

While stopping short of alleging corruption, Carlin described Infantino’s public deference to Trump as disturbing. “The spectacle of the way he fawns over Donald Trump is, in my view, utterly repulsive,” he said.

FIFA, for its part, maintains that the 2026 World Cup will be safe and inclusive, and that football should remain above political disputes.

Fans carrying the moral load

Carlin believes fans are increasingly being asked to shoulder moral responsibilities that governing bodies avoid.

“There will definitely be fewer fans going than there would have been under a more sensible government,” he said, pointing to fears around US immigration enforcement. Still, he doubts a formal boycott will materialise.

The financial incentives are simply too large. Even smaller football associations stand to earn at least $10.5 million from participation, a powerful reason to stay silent.

For now, Blatter’s call is unlikely to shift FIFA’s plans. But it has reopened an uncomfortable question: if even one of football’s most disgraced figures can see a moral problem, what does that say about the game’s global custodians?

For more details, listen to Carlin using the audio player below: