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Gulati hints that Trump election could impact future tournaments

Photo by Carucha L. Meuse/The Journal News via USA TODAY NETWORK
Photo by Carucha L. Meuse/The Journal News via USA TODAY NETWORK

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has created waves with some of his comments throughout the campaigning process, but could a potential White House bid affect the United States’ chances of hosting another major soccer tournament?

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati didn’t rule out rule out possibility on Tuesday.

“I think the world’s perception of the United States is affected by who’s in the White House, yes, and so it has some bearing, sure,” Gulati said.

With the U.S. openly considering a bid to bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup back to North America and recent reports suggesting that a Copa America/Gold Cup merge would see the U.S. host the revised competition, Gulati expanded on comments, stating the importance of how other nations view the United States.

“I think having somebody in the White House that gives the country an outward-looking view and a personality that is more easily accepted around the world is positive for the United States,” Gulati told reporters Tuesday. “And then more specifically to your question, for hosting events here and our general image from a sports perspective, but it’s far beyond sports.”

Additionally, U.S. Soccer has continued to make its stance clear that they would be like to make a run at hosting future tournaments, including the World Cup, but as long as there is transparency throughout the process.

“Would we love to host a World Cup in the United States in the future? The answer is, of course, yes. But we’re only going to do so if we have a clear understanding and that there’s a fair set of rules, and a transparent set of rules, and then we’ll make a decision,” Gulati said.

What do you think of Gulati’s comments? Do you feel Trump would stunt a World Cup bid for the U.S.?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. In 2008 we elected a globalist’s love child, who at the time was almost universally beloved by global elites…so much so that he got a Nobel Prize just a year into office. Nonetheless, we still lost out on both the 2022 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, despite the personal lobbying of this universally beloved President.

    It turns out that the people who determine where World Cups are held generally don’t like the US regardless of who is in office. This is mostly due to the sporting world’s distaste for America’s good governance and aggressive justice system. On the other hand these people love xenophobes and authoritarians (cough, cough Russia…cough, cough Qatar). If anything electing Trump probably makes a US hosted World Cup more likely.

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  2. Even Gulati knows how much trouble Democrats are in and is trying to motivateeft wing voters to vote. I bet you university professors in leftist Venezuela don’t make as much as he makes at Columbia.

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  3. I’m sure both Trump and Clinton will be as successful as Obama when it comes to landing international soccer tournaments.

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  4. I thought it was unfortunate to hear this from Gulati. When I heard about this statement from him, I thought of FIFA’s policy against government interference in the affairs of the respective national soccer federations. If we accept the principle behind that, shouldn’t that principle also operate in the other direction, that soccer federations shouldn’t interfere in governmental affairs? That would seem fair to me, and Gulati’s comments go against that idea.

    Yes, yes, I know that Gulati wasn’t saying straight out that people shouldn’t vote for Trump, or US soccer fans shouldn’t vote for Trump. But don’t be naive – he was clearly “putting it out there,” as the current saying goes. If he thought it wasn’t going to be taken that way, then he really should have thought more before expressing himself on the subject. His message is obvious and constitutes a rather pointed political stance that looks to me out of place for someone in his position to be taking.

    Please notice before replying that my comments have nothing to do with support or lack thereof for any particular candidate, just as FIFA’s stance that I mentioned above also has (or should have) nothing to do with specifically which government official or party is involved. This is about a principle, not individuals.

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  5. Gulati has no right to discuss these things…I’m more ready for Gulati to be gone than Klinsmann…never thought i’d say that

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  6. I have almost always supported Sunil. But this was inappropriate and reflects negatively on US Soccer Mr. President.

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  7. “Now no wonder US Soccer is messed up when you have this corrupt tool going around making political opinions.”

    Agree wholeheartedly. Wondering when Gulati will go the way of Blatter, Warner, Blazer, et al.

    “Gulati is a failure as USSF President and as a human being. Gulati keep USSF out of politics!”

    I wouldn’t say he’s a failure as a human being but he certainly is a failure as USSF President. The mere fact that he sticks with an incompetent snake-oil salesman like Klinsmann tarnishes his entire legacy, as far as I’m concerned.

    Now to all of you overdosing on the Klinsmann-flavored Kool-Aid (Gary Page), let me suggest an alternative: Carlos Queiroz, who will leave Iran after the 2018 World Cup. His managerial CV would make Klinsmann soil his underwear five times a day.

    “This is beyond laughable. The great Obama, who is so well received around the world, has failed in at least 3 personal attempts to bring major sporting events to the US. The World Cup and Euro tournaments were awarded to that open minded staunch liberal Mr. Putin. This is just more left wing garbage being spewed by a clueless Gulati.”

    EXACTLY! Gulati is part of the educated elite (both Left and Right) that has lost touch with regular folk. He’s speaking for the benefit of his fellow elitists, not to anybody who actually gives a rip about soccer in this country.

    Besides, I’ll bet you that international contempt for Obama is a lot higher than Americans know.

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    • Look, you can tell by all the nutjobs coming out of the woodwork that every redneck rampager is going to be posting here denouncing Sunil. Did this get cross-posted to rushlimbaugh.com?

      I have a lot of respect for Sunil. He is a politician himself and has represented US soccer very well abroad especially with all the corruption being revealed at FIFA. If he thinks Trump would be detrimental to US soccer interests and is that compelled to speak up about it, then I think its important to know.

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      • Rednecks are polite and respectful people, you bigot! As an immigrant felt more love from Southern folks than big city folks.

    • you do realize that Gulati is the sole reason FIFA elected Infantino as president and not any of the other corrupt candidates. Its also because of his work during the election that he has cemented US soccer as major player in FIFA. You might not like the man, but you cant deny he has had a great role in increasing US’ profile internationally as a soccer nation

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  8. This is beyond laughable. The great Obama, who is so well received around the world, has failed in at least 3 personal attempts to bring major sporting events to the US. The World Cup and Euro tournaments were awarded to that open minded staunch liberal Mr. Putin. This is just more left wing garbage being spewed by a clueless Gulati

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    • It’s amazing how far the arm of liberal propaganda can reach isn’t it? What a clown Gulati is for doing something like this.

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    • You always like to believe that no one really believes any such conspiracies and related idiocy presented on right wing news and talk radio and the like, and then you see 3 people in a row comment non-ironically about it all, indicating that they actually do. Smh…

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    • Well if Obama, who is a well-liked president around the world and by most sane people everywhere, can’t be the linchpin of big sporting events coming here, how would Trump do? He is pretty much reviled everywhere for his statements. My bet is that he would fare poorly.

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      • This whole commentary string is premised by the erroneous fact that the President of the US has something to do with the chances the US has in hosting a major sporting event.

        There is no correlation. Events have been awarded to despots as well as democratically elected representatives. Albeit some awards were ill-gooten through bribes, most were not.

        To say that a country has less or more of a chance in landing an event based on it’s politics, is foolhardy and naive.

        Sunil Gulati is a tool. He is repeating innuendo and rumours he has heard from the politicos in FIFA, still a corrupt entity. While the President and political parties may still have a say in immigration and policy, the fact that the US has held many international events while still under the threat of mayhem and attack shows that the US does not fear problems from abroad and problems from politicians

        Besides, the only Presidents FIFA cares about are the dead ones on the front of US currency.

    • He’s not bringing politics into soccer, he’s basically stating that the international public view of the US would affect our opportunities to host the world cup. Simple as that.

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      • Gulati’s opinion is of a rich or white upper middle class viewpoint, not International.

        Note: I was born Uruguay and I am a combat Vet with 20 years of Service to this country (U.S)

  9. This is wrong place to for this sort of discussion and Gulati was wrong for making comment. Sport should be above politics. Very disappointed in your choice to create potential division within the game when unity is what we need. I think I will find another website for my soccer news.

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      • Yeah I wish Gulati would stay out of politics, but it won’t matter as Sunil will be in jail before the next World Cup anyway, or does anyone really believe he’s knew nothing about what Blazer and company were doing?

        And it is ironic that Gulati is throwing punches at what would be the first US President to have played organized soccer. Trump played on his high school team.

    • I am not trying to be political at all with this statement, but the world’s view of the US will change dramatically of Trump is president. He is the closest thing to an isolationist than we have had in a long time. This will affect our chances on the international stage – Gulati realizes this.

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      • Doesn’t matter, we aren’t going to host another World Cup ever. You think all those voting memebers are going to be happy about the way the US has fought corruption? You think they wanna risk coming to American soil and getting arrested?

        Don’t forget Africa is Majorly ticked at us for going after Sepp, who did a lot for Africa (even after lining his own pockets).

  10. Why are politics even a topic of conversation on this site? And if memory serves, we had a forward-looking president when the 2010 WC vote was cast and the US got hosed. Not sure why Gulati is even making these kind of statements. Rid FIFA of corruption, then we can worry if a particular presidential candidate would harm our chances of hosting in 2026.

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    • “Why are politics even a topic of conversation on this site?”

      Well if you read the report here — or even the headline — that should be pretty clear…

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    • LOL
      I was thinking the same thing. We all should step aside and let the resident nut job rabid nationalist take this one.
      Hit it, slow.

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      • Rob – I already posted above. Why do you think I’m a Trump supporter? Because I don’t think our player development strategy should be recruiting a bunch of Germans to play for us? If you were as worldly as you thought you think you are you would know that my view is the majority view on that issue in serious soccer countries. Because I don’t think Mexico soccer fans are well behaved? Come on Rob, please grow up. Thank you.

      • Who is burning the flag? who is beating Americans because different viewpoint? What group booed National Anthem?

    • The only buffoons here are the idiots who voted Obama twice and would vote Killary or Sanders in. Also the idiots who gave us Bush and Clinton. Those are the buffoons that the world banking cartel has been laughing about when they get together as in the Bilderberg meetings. Go look it up, Bilderbergs. This is our last chance to rescue this country. On the brighter side he will keep the Mexicans out. The Mexicans that are stealing the jobs that no American would do for slave wages. He will stop the H1B and L1 visa scam to bring Indians and others to take our IT jobs, amongst other, for half the wages that Americans would. He will bring back the factories that Clinton Bush and Obama have sent to China, Mexico and many other countries. He will stop the thievery the Federal Reserve and the way these bankers buy and pay for our politicians. Go and listen to Michael Savage for a couple of days with an open mind, tool. Now no wonder US Soccer is messed up when you have this corrupt tool going around making political opinions. Maybe he got his 30-40 pieces of silver to say that. Just like all the thugs and hooligans that show up at Trump’s rallies are paid by George Soros and the banking cartel.

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