African media questioned FIFA president Gianni Infantino about whether people from the continent will be safe and welcome in the United States for the 2026 World Cup. Reporters conveyed jittery feelings among African fans and urged protections against visitors feeling like outcasts or second-class citizens. Infantino's recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump was noted, as was Trump's gold World Cup trophy on his White House desk. Patrice Motsepe, sitting beside Infantino, was identified as President Cyril Ramaphosa's brother-in-law, and Ramaphosa's tense White House visit was recalled. The draw is set for Washington on Dec. 5; Infantino said everyone will be welcome.
African media quizzed FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Saturday if people from the continent will be safe and welcome in the United States at the 2026 World Cup. Soccer fans from Africa are a little bit jittery about current events in the U.S., Infantino was told at a news conference in Kenya which urged him to ensure African visitors to the tournament do not feel outcast second-class citizens. The FIFA leader was reminded he met yet again last week with U.S. President Donald Trump,
We are going to play it in a country where some of us do not feel welcome, said a reporter from South Africa, the home country of FIFA vice president Patrice Motsepe who sat beside Infantino at a luxury hotel in Nairobi. Motsepe is the brother-in-law of South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, who had a tense visit to the White House in May when Trump repeated his administration's baseless claims of white farmers being systematic killed in the country.
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