U.S. senators urge FIFA not to let Russia host World Cup 2018

U.S. senators urge FIFA not to let Russia host World Cup 2018

(Reuters) - A group of U.S. senators has written to the international soccer association FIFA, urging it to consider removing Russia as host of the 2018 FIFA World Cup because of its role in the Ukraine crisis and occupation of Crimea.

In a letter dated Tuesday and released on Wednesday, the 13 Democratic and Republican U.S. lawmakers said they "strongly encourage" the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to move the global competition.

"Allowing Russia to host the FIFA World Cup inappropriately bolsters the prestige of the (Russian President Vladimir) Putin regime at a time when it should be condemned and provides economic relief at a time when much of the international community is imposing economic sanctions," the senators wrote to FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

The lead signers were Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Ron Johnson, the Republican chairman of the foreign relations panel's Europe subcommittee.

Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also signed the letter, as did Senator Richard Durbin, the number two Democrat in the Senate.

A copy of the letter was also sent to the U.S. Soccer Federation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/01/us-soccer-fifa-congress-idUSKBN0MS52G20150401

It's true, though. It was already kinda tough for Brazil to host the WC, although I'm sure most of us realized it could be done. Russia & Qatar however are definitely very iffy still. Russia still shows signs that it's still not too happy with the west whereas Qatar are allied against forces against the west.

The next 2 WC's will be nothing short of controversial, I feel.

If it is okay for the US to hold international tournaments after supporting Dictatorships, then toppling those dictatorships and destabilizing their regions, then contributing further to the destabilization by funding and training some rebels to topple yet another dictator which they would have supported if he had supported their other dictators in the region, at which points those rebels turned out to be after toppling all regimes in the already destabilized region, all the while, it is helping another dictatorship help reinstate another dictatorship from rebels who wanted to topple it.

Point is, the US is as responsible as Russia for the most deaths after WW2, and it always amuses me how they always manage to speak from such a high horse.

It was just a matter of time when the 2018 WC in Russia became a diplomatical and political topic in the West and I expect discussion & issues about it only increase the closer to 2018 we get.

It's what we do, LS....even when we're throwing rocks in our nice glass house.

Bob Menendez probably won't be able to participate much in this anyway since he just got indicted on corruption charges.

I personally don't like Russia having this WC simply because this is an inclusive event that will occur in a country that simply isn't very inclusive.

Well unless your Edward Snowden anyway.

It's Edward.

Anyway, who cares what US senators have to say regarding football matters

I don't think Russia is in a place where boycotting them helps anyone, they need to be integrated into the international community, not isolated.

Qatar needs to be isolated, because they can't be trusted with the World Cup in their naughty, greedy, hands.
Sure, I'd prefer for the WC to not be in Russia, but boycotting the Olympics didn't solve anything back in the day. It shouldn't have gone to Russia, yes, but now that it has, it'll just hurt the sport and help nobody. It's probably the greater opportunity to internationalize Russian society that has taken on a more and more xenophobic streak ever since Putin, and the Orthodoxy, have gathered power.

If you want to take a WC away from someone, take it away from Qatar, who are unable to host one.
Sure, they're able to host something, which is played in winter, without beer and lesbians, and I say, if there isn't beer and lesbians, it's no World Cup, Sirs!

VivaStPauli wrote:I don't think Russia is in a place where boycotting them helps anyone, they need to be integrated into the international community, not isolated.

Qatar needs to be isolated, because they can't be trusted with the World Cup in their naughty, greedy, hands.
Sure, I'd prefer for the WC to not be in Russia, but boycotting the Olympics didn't solve anything back in the day. It shouldn't have gone to Russia, yes, but now that it has, it'll just hurt the sport and help nobody. It's probably the greater opportunity to internationalize Russian society that has taken on a more and more xenophobic streak ever since Putin, and the Orthodoxy, have gathered power.

If you want to take a WC away from someone, take it away from Qatar, who are unable to host one.
Sure, they're able to host something, which is played in winter, without beer and lesbians, and I say, if there isn't beer and lesbians, it's no World Cup, Sirs!

am sure Arkansas and Indiana would like to have a word with you on that....

US pls

Lord Spencer wrote:If it is okay for the US to hold international tournaments after supporting Dictatorships, then toppling those dictatorships and destabilizing their regions, then contributing further to the destabilization by funding and training some rebels to topple yet another dictator which they would have supported if he had supported their other dictators in the region, at which points those rebels turned out to be after toppling all regimes in the already destabilized region, all the while, it is helping another dictatorship help reinstate another dictatorship from rebels who wanted to topple it.

Point is, the US is as responsible as Russia for the most deaths after WW2, and it always amuses me how they always manage to speak from such a high horse.

Yup. I read an interesting article a while back comparing Putin's response to Ukraine/Crimea with Raegan and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and the parallels are quite astonishing.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/17/what-putin-learned-from-reagan-ukraine-nicaragua/

Jonathan28 wrote:

US pls

lmfaooooooooooooooo

Interesting.

Politics getting more and more involved in football by the day.

At first I was against these ridiculous World Cup locations, now I kinda want to see them happen because even boring games will be interesting with some cold war controversial shit happening in the background and lead up to games

Forza Russia Forza Qatar

Knowing a bomb can go off at a any minute, ffs.
#LivingLifeOnTheEdge

But they have no problem with stadiums being built by slaves. There is no point in bringing politics into football, unless we are willing to protest against every single wc campaign and not just against the enemies of Uncle Sam and his west side homies.

US taking the moral high ground

If US were punished for atrocities they've caused over the years they would never be involved in any sport competitions let alone host it

Oh and the Crimea situation is like Falkland. The Crimean people want to be Russian even most of Ukraine want to but Ukraine (and the rest of the world) are trying to convince themselves that Crimea is part of Ukraine

Last election 99% of the Crimea people voted for being part of Russia just like when Falkland had an election. But funnily enough the Crimea vote is not considered legit by the west who continue to live in la la land

Stones in a glass house. USA has no jurisdiction making such comments.

It's John McCain what do you expect - he looked into Putin's eyes and saw three letters K-G-B....

If the guy had become president, we'd probably be living in some post-nuclear war wasteland already lol.

Problem is that the rumor is that the US and its closest allies (France, UK, Germany, Italy, etc) will boycott the Russian one unless Ukraine gets resolved by then.

I think it's dumb...  But it's about putting max economic pressure.  If those countries don't go, neither would their fans.

It would be a sanction.

I highly doubt that this boycott would go through in the football-mad countries. It's easy for the US to threaten not to send their soccer team, but I guess that in Germany the government would be toppled before we don't have the DFB-Team at a World Cup.

sportsczy wrote:Problem is that the rumor is that the US and its closest allies (France, UK, Germany, Italy, etc) will boycott the Russian one unless Ukraine gets resolved by then.

I think it's dumb...  But it's about putting max economic pressure.  If those countries don't go, neither would their fans.

It would be a sanction.

Wars and stuff ain't no problem but boycott a WC? The parties and especially people in charge wouldn't even make it into parliament after that

I don't think football or any other sport, whether the country is passionate about it or not, will have any weight.  It's about economic sanctions and would be all encompassing.  For example, France did not deliver war planes to Russia due to sanctions which cost the country over 3 billion euros.

By then, the western powers will have finished the project where they built infrastructure to receive their natural gas needs from someone other than Russia.  That's the impediment right now or the sanctions would have been far worse...  once the energy reliance is gone, it then becomes very very serious.

The only reason we Americans speak from such a high horse is only because we can afford to, fortunately or unfortunately.

Boycotting Russia won't work. Tensions would only be accelerated if that happened. Though, I don't know what would be the status of Russia & U.S. relations by then.

Qatar, isn't ready now but I'm sure they'll get things done by 2022. The problem I see in Qatar is not economical nor time-wise but political. Qatar's flexibility will certainly be tested by the westerners that go there.

Still wanna go and check out the Middle East, North Africa, and the  South & West Asia regions. With the World Cup so close to the holidays it'll be perfect to take a ride around those regions. Just gotta avoid marriage till then.

sportsczy wrote:Problem is that the rumor is that the US and its closest allies (France, UK, Germany, Italy, etc) will boycott the Russian one unless Ukraine gets resolved by then.

I think it's dumb...  But it's about putting max economic pressure.  If those countries don't go, neither would their fans.

It would be a sanction.

A win for Argentina and Brazil, I'm game.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:

sportsczy wrote:Problem is that the rumor is that the US and its closest allies (France, UK, Germany, Italy, etc) will boycott the Russian one unless Ukraine gets resolved by then.

I think it's dumb...  But it's about putting max economic pressure.  If those countries don't go, neither would their fans.

It would be a sanction.

A win for Argentina and Brazil, I'm game.

Would also increase Finland's chances of getting into the World Cup

#boycottRussia2018 #NoNatoNationsInRussia #FinlandsTimeToShine