<br><div> <p data-end="611" data-start="231">Joseph Blatter this Monday urged football fans to avoid the United States during the 2026 World Cup, citing security reasons. The former president of FIFA, who led the organization between 1998 and 2015, used the social network X to share and subscribe to an interview with Swiss lawyer Mark Pieth, a specialist in combating corruption and a former FIFA collaborator.</p> <p data-end="813" data-start="613">“I think Mark Pieth is right to question this World Cup,” wrote Blatter, citing the title of the interview with <em data-end="743" data-start="727">Daily Gazette.</em> </p> <p data-end="813" data-start="613">“For fans, there is only one piece of advice: avoid the United States!”, he wrote.</p> <p data-end="1229" data-start="815">In the interview, cited by AFP, Pieth highlights concerns related to "the marginalization of political opponents and abuses of immigration services" in the USA, arguing that the context does not encourage the presence of foreign fans.</p> <p data-end="1229" data-start="815">“Upon arrival, fans must be aware that if they do not behave correctly with the authorities, they will be immediately deported. That is if they are lucky…», he stated.</p> <p data-end="1617" data-start="1231">The statements come days after a serious incident in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where anti-immigration police (ICE) agents shot and killed Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, a US citizen and intensive care nurse for the Veterans Administration.</p> <p data-end="1617" data-start="1231">The case reignited criticism of the actions of immigration authorities, after another similar episode in January. Blatter, 89, has been a recurring critical voice of Gianni Infantino, his successor as FIFA president, after resigning in 2015 following several corruption scandals.</p> <p data-end="2167" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="1812">Mundial2026 will take place between June 11th and July 19th and will be the first with 48 teams, in an unprecedented organization involving three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.</p> <p data-end="2167" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="" data-start="1812">Portugal is part of Group K, along with Uzbekistan, Colombia and the winner of path 1 of the intercontinental play-off, which involves Jamaica, New Caledonia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.</p> </div>