ROME (AP) 鈥� Italian sports officials say four-time champion Italy is not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming following a suggestion to that effect by a Trump administration official.
Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup, and the team is in the U.S. despite the war in the Middle East. its group stage games near Los Angeles and in Seattle will go ahead as planned in June.
The Financial Times reported that Paolo Zampolli, the U.S. special envoy for global partnerships, had suggested the swap to and .
In a phone interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Zampolli emphasized that 鈥渕y request is not a political request.” The ask, which was made to Trump and Infantino on Wednesday, was meant as a contingency plan in case Iran could not participate in the soccer tournament at the last minute.
鈥淚 had a dream,鈥� Zampolli told the AP. 鈥淢y request was for the Italian people and the American-Italian people.鈥�
He said in the FT interview that, with four titles, the Italian national team’s appearance in the World Cup would be justified.
Italian officials pushed back hard at the suggestion, with Sports Minister Andrea Abodi saying Thursday that 鈥渇irst of all, it’s not possible. Secondly, it’s not a good idea.鈥�
Luciano Buonfiglio, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all sports in Italy, also dismissed the idea.
鈥淚 would feel offended,鈥� Buonfiglio said. 鈥淵ou need to deserve to go to the World Cup.鈥�
Italy鈥檚 Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti called the suggested swap 鈥渟hameful.鈥�
Hours later, Trump was asked at the White House about Iranian soccer players potentially not being allowed into the U.S. for the World Cup. He initially joked, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think about it too much鈥� before adding, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 an interesting question.鈥�
鈥淟et me give that some thought,鈥� Trump added.
He then deferred to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said, 鈥淣othing from the U.S. has told them they can鈥檛 come.鈥�
鈥淭he problem with Iran would be, not their athletes. It would be some of the other people that they want to bring with them,” Rubio said, suggesting that Iran’s soccer team could bring in people loyal to militant groups disguised as journalists and trainers.
鈥淲e may not be able to let them in,” Rubio said of people around the team. 鈥淏ut not the athletes themselves.鈥�
He added that there had been 鈥渟peculation that Iran may decide not to come, but then Italy could fill their spot,鈥� without adding details.
鈥淚f they decide not to come on their own, it鈥檚 ’cause they decided not to come,” the secretary of state said of Iranian athletes.
While Iran was among the first teams to qualify for the World Cup, Italy for the third consecutive tournament, resulting in the resignations of its and .
Zampolli has long been a part of the Trump family orbit, having introduced then-Melania Knauss to Donald Trump at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998. He regularly posts on social media about his meetings with Infantino, calling him the 鈥淜ing of Soccer.鈥� Trump last year appointed him as special representative for global partnerships.
In March, The New York Times reported that Zampolli had reached out to a top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, informing him that the mother of his child was in the country illegally as the two were locked in a custody dispute. She was ultimately deported.
The White House did not return a request for comment. Its World Cup task force, housed under the Department of Homeland Security, said it had no comment. FIFA also would not comment.
The Iranian embassy in Rome denounced Zampolli鈥檚 remarks in a comment on X.
鈥淔ootball belongs to the people, not to politicians,鈥� the embassy said. 鈥淚taly earned its soccer prowess on the field, not thanks to political maneuvers. The attempt to exclude Iran from the World Cup shows only the 鈥榤oral bankruptcy鈥� of the United States, which fears even the presence of 11 young Iranians on the field of play.鈥�
Iran鈥檚 status at the World Cup, which starts in June, has been a source of debate and concern since the U.S. and Israel launched military attacks on the country in February.
Trump in March in the tournament, citing safety concerns.
has consistently said Iran will stick to the World Cup schedule decided last December, and refused to negotiate any of moving the team鈥檚 games to co-host Mexico.
An Iranian government spokesperson said Wednesday that is preparing for 鈥減roud and successful participation鈥� in its World Cup games in the U.S.
Iran earned one of eight guaranteed World Cup places allocated to the Asian Football Confederation. Should Iran pull out, in theory the replacement should be the United Arab Emirates, the highest-ranked Asian team that didn鈥檛 qualify.
One possible element of uncertainty is the language of the World Cup tournament rules.
FIFA wrote that it can decide to replace a withdrawn team 鈥渨ith another association,鈥� though without specifying the replacement must come from the same continental confederation.
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Dunbar reported from Geneva and Kim reported from Washington.
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