The French government is not in favour of boycotting this year’s World Cup being co-hosted by the United States over Donald Trump’s Greenland threats, France’s sports minister has said.
Trump has targeted France among the eight European countries threatened with tariffs for their opposition to his drive to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
That prompted a senior far-left French politician, Éric Coquerel, to say the US should be stripped of co-hosting the World Cup, which it is sharing with Canada and Mexico.
“As it stands now, there is no desire from the ministry for a boycott of this great competition,” Marina Ferrari said. “Now, I will not anticipate what could happen, but I have also heard voices raised from certain political blocs.
“I am one who believes in keeping sport separate [from politics]. The World Cup is an extremely important moment for those who love sport.”
Coquerel had on Tuesday said he could not see how France could play at the World Cup if Trump went through with his threats over Greenland. “Seriously one imagines going to play the World Cup in a country who attacks its ‘neighbours’, threatens to invade Greenland and rides rough shod over international law,” he said.
Coquerel’s compatriot Claude Le Roy, a veteran coach who guided Cameroon to the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations title, suggested African teams should boycott the World Cup, to be held between 11 June and 19 July.
“One wonders whether it is not necessary to call for a boycott of the 2026 World Cup, given the behaviour of Donald Trump with regard to the continent,” the 77-year-old told French newspaper Figaro.
The French line had come hours after the German government had divested itself of responsibility for taking decisions over a possible boycott. Christiane Schenderlein, the state minister for sports, said in a statement sent to AFP: “Decisions on participation or boycotts at major sporting events lie solely with the competent sports associations, not with politicians. This assessment should therefore be made by the respective associations – in this case, the German FA and Fifa.”
Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, has cultivated a close relationship with Trump, even creating a special “Fifa Peace Prize” he awarded to Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
