Italy’s repechage to the World Cup: "Interesting" Trump admits. But then.
“Italy instead of Iran in the World Cup? I don’t think about it too much… It’s an interesting question… Are they thinking about replacing Iran? We don’t want to penalize the athletes.” Donald Trump does not seem at all focused on the World Cup that the United States will host along with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. The possibility of Italy’s repechage, in fact, is not in the least among his priorities. The U.S. president appears surprised when, in the Oval Office, he is asked a question on the subject: could Italy take Iran’s place in the World Cup? A hypothesis supported by Paolo Zampolli, the U.S. president’s special envoy to Italy.
The proposal was reported by the Financial Times, which also described it as an “effort to mend ties between Trump and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni” after the U.S. president’s recent attacks on the Pope. Zampolli himself personally confirmed the pressure on the international federation: “I confirm that I suggested to Trump and Infantino to replace Iran with Italy at the World Cup. I am Italian, it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at the World Cup in the United States. With four titles, the Azzurri have the pedigree to justify inclusion.” Moreover, this is not the first time that such a proposal has emerged: back in 2022, on the occasion of the World Cup in Qatar, the U.S. ambassador wrote to Infantino asking for the exclusion of Iran and the inclusion of Italy.
In Italy, however, the proposal has caused more embarrassment than enthusiasm. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti was blunt: “Today I read that Trump’s envoy wants to re-explore Italy in the World Cup: I find this shameful. I would be ashamed.” On the same wavelength is CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio: “First of all, I don’t think it’s possible. Second, I would feel offended: participation in a World Cup should be deserved.” Journalist Enrico Mentana also entrusted his disappointment to social media, speaking of a prospect that is “sleazy and unfair, and offensive to our sporting history.”
A voice partially out of the chorus is that of former FIGC president Giancarlo Abete, who while expressing “great perplexity” about the regulatory plan, did not completely close to hope: “As fans one can only hope, as people who have a logic in which there are situations linked to a regulatory framework I have great perplexity. Anything can happen, but if, as I read, the subject makes the proposal for Trump I would not know where to start.” Abete then emphasized the issue of geographical representativeness: “If I were a continent I would say that place belongs to a team from the same continent.”
On the other hand, the Iranian Embassy in Italy responded firmly through a post on X: “Football belongs to peoples, not politicians. Italy won soccer greatness on the field, not thanks to political rents. The attempt to exclude Iran from the World Cup only shows the ‘moral bankruptcy’ of the United States, which fears even the presence of eleven young Iranians on the field of play.” Iran, after all, duly qualified by finishing first in its group in the Asian Zone. However, the situation remains in the balance: Tehran had asked FIFA to move its group matches to Mexico, receiving a clear refusal. Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said that “if the safety of the national team’s players in the United States is guaranteed, we will leave for the World Cup,” clarifying, however, that the final decision will be up to government authorities along with the Supreme National Security Council.
