Infantino is silent
Anti-trump protests overshade club World Cup
Updated on June 12th, 2025 – 4:51 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
In the United States, the civil protests continue against migration policy. The club World Cup will take place there from next weekend. What this means for the billion-dollar event.
For several days and in several cities in the United States, people have been demonstrating against President Donald Trump’s migration policy.
In Los Angeles, one of the eleven venues of the Football Club World Cup, an evening curve was recently imposed to contain the protests. President Trump sent 4,000 soldiers from the national guard to the west coast – against the will of the California governor Gavin Newsom.
The demonstrations were mostly peaceful, but few exceptions revealed the worldwide: burning cars, stone throws on police cars, the occupation of a highway. The fear that the situation will continue to escalate is in the air. There are also protests in other cities such as New York or Chicago.
The start of the FIFA Club World Cup (June 14th to July 13th) is now falling into this explosive location on the coming weekend, in which Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund also take part. And shortly before the kick-off of the new XXL short for the best club selection of the world on Saturday-tailor-made to Trump’s 79th birthday-critical questions about the role of political influence on the event are increasing.
When barricades burned in demonstrations during the 2013 Confed Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was massively questioned as a World Cup host for the following year. Like four years earlier in South Africa, security was a top topic. The then FIFA boss Sepp Blatter came into explanation.
Now the location in Los Angeles and other American cities is precarious. And Gianni Infantino is silent about the US military on the streets of a venue for the club World Cup and the World Cup next year. The pictures that go around the world must also take care of the FIFA president. They damage his billion-dollar events.
Criticism also stimulates in the football industry. The Los Angeles FC, participant in the club World Cup, solidarized with the protests against the trump proceeding against migrants. “LAFC believes that the true strength of our community arises from people and the cultures that constitutes the shape of our beautiful and various city,” the association wrote on X. The LAFC is “side by side with all members of our community, while so many in our city feel fear and uncertainty.”
The games of the club World Cup itself will hardly be influenced by the protests. But fans also positioned themselves clearly and recently presented a large banner with the inscription “Abolish ICE” in a game. ICE is the immigration authority, against which the protests are directed.
On Saturday, the tournament with 32 teams in eleven American cities will open with the game between Inter Miami with Lionel Messi and Al-Nahry from Egypt.
It remains to be seen whether the unrest affects the already manageable fan interest. In any case, FIFA has already started special measures to fill the stands.