A group of over 20 Members of Parliament is urging FIFA to consider expelling the United States from the World Cup due to President Donald Trump’s alleged violations of international law. The MPs are specifically concerned about the US government’s actions in Venezuela and the President’s perceived threats against countries like Denmark, Cuba, and Colombia.
The MPs have called for a ban on the US from major global sporting events, citing alarm over the reported “kidnapping” of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and the threats directed at other sovereign nations. Labour MP Brian Leishman, who initiated the motion, criticized what he sees as a double standard in the treatment of powerful states like the US.
The motion highlights concerns that Trump’s behavior undermines the international rules-based order and insists that sporting events should not be platforms to normalize violations of international law by influential nations. The group of MPs, consisting of members from different political parties, is also calling on the government to oppose any double standards in enforcing international norms.
Regarding the US national soccer team, they are currently considered outsiders at 50/1 odds to win the upcoming World Cup. The team has participated in 11 tournaments since 1930 and is grouped with Paraguay and Australia in the upcoming event. The UK government has stated that the legal justification for the Venezuela operation lies with the White House.
The US government has labeled Maduro as a “narco-terrorist,” while he claims to be a “kidnapped president” and a “prisoner of war.” In response to Trump’s threat to annex Greenland, Britain has expressed solidarity with Denmark. Keir Starmer has emphasized that the fate of Greenland should be decided by the people of Greenland and Denmark, following discussions with the US President.