Donald Trump’s World Cup supremo has told Sky News the US president “never rules anything out” to ensure next year’s tournament is staged safely.
But in an exclusive interview, Andrew Giuliani, who heads the White House World Cup task force, said it was “absurd” for the activists to complain about human rights being under threat at the tournament.
Mr Giuliani was speaking as the football world starts to arrive in Washington DC for Friday’s tournament draw, when fans can start planning their trips next summer to the US, Canada and Mexico.
But Mr Trump has threatened to take matches away from places run by Democrats where he believes fans could be in danger.
“Safety is key and the president is focused not just on our World Cup, but the safety and security of Americans and those international visitors that are travelling here,” Mr Giuliani said.
“He wants specifically the World Cup to be a welcoming event, but he also wants to make sure that it is safe and secure. He wants to make sure that each of these cities are doing everything they can to make sure it is a safe experience.”
The Boston, Seattle and San Francisco areas have been highlighted by Mr Trump as locations that could be stripped of hosting.
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“The president urges every single governor and every single mayor to do the best they can, whatever their politics are,” Mr Giuliani said.
Mr Trump has made protecting the United States a key tenet of his agenda, with the prospect raised of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents targeting those at World Cup matches who are violating immigration laws.
Mr Giuliani said: “There were no raids at Club World Cup games. That was a big narrative going into that.
“But what I can also tell you is that the president never rules anything out when it comes to safely and securely protecting, whether it’s stadiums, fan festivals, American citizens and those international visitors that are coming here for an event like the World Cup.
“So I know he’s not going to rule anything [out] that can actually help make a stadium make an area safer.”
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Human Rights Watch staged a news conference in Washington earlier, where they suggested the tournament was being weaponised by Mr Trump and the human and civil rights of fans were in jeopardy.
“That sounds like an absurd allegation,” Mr Giuliani responded, referencing the president’s work ending wars.
“What he was able to achieve in the Middle East. Other presidents had tried and could not get over the finish line. He was able to do it.
“What he’s trying to work on right now between Russia and Ukraine, no other president would be able to approach it the way that he’s able to do it. So look, erroneous allegations like that, I don’t think are worth a real response.”
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It is inevitable the interview focuses so much on security when it is the first World Cup being staged across three countries and expansion to 48 teams, adding 16 more finalists.
“I don’t want to talk about intelligence and what has or what will be done,” Mr Giuliani said. “But look, America and a World Cup, they’re always a target. We know that.
“And we’re very well aware of the potential vulnerabilities that could exist.”
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There is $500m (£374.5m) being spent on countering unauthorised drones at major events, including the World Cup.
“We can look at vehicle ramming – that’s something that’s been a copycat,” Mr Giuliani said, discussing World Cup risks.
“What I can tell you,” he added, “is that the overwhelming majority of my job and our work, from a federal perspective, is committing to making this a safe World Cup and eliminating those threats.”
But how will it work staging the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico when Mr Trump has talked tough against the countries, whether on trade or combating drugs?
Mr Giuliani said: “Even though we may have different political backgrounds, different beliefs still, our three countries are working together to make this World Cup a great success and something that hopefully will be a benchmark moving forward, not just for World Cups around the world, but also hopefully to get another World Cup in my lifetime back in the United States, in North America.”
There will be a fast-track visa process for fans to ensure they can fly into the United States. But there is a travel ban on anyone from Haiti and Iran, although exceptions have been granted for team delegations for the draw.
“Every single visa decision is a national security decision,” Mr Giuliani said.
And for a White House used to dominating the global agenda, there is a realisation that a World Cup puts the United States in the global spotlight like nothing else in sport for so long.
“It’s a great opportunity over America’s 250th birthday to really show off American exceptionalism,” he said, adding: “This is going to be the largest sporting event in American history and we’re very excited to host.”
