On Wednesday, reports emerged that an envoy to President Donald Trump was attempting to replace Iran with Italy at this year’s World Cup. And safe to say, it caused global headlines.
According to the Financial Times, the proposed plan is an attempt to repair the strained relationship between the president and Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni – the pair had a falling out last week over Trump’s comments about Pope Leo XIV and the Iran War.
When asked to clarify his comments, US special envoy Paolo Zampolli told CNN he suggested the idea to Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, adding that it was his understanding that Iran was not planning to participate.
“A World Cup without Messi is not a World Cup,” he said, referencing the soccer star Lionel Messi. “Italy has the same merits after winning four times the World Cup.”
CNN Sports has reached out to FIFA, the Italian soccer association, the Iranian soccer association and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) – which Iran forms a part of – for comment.
Now, onto explaining why the mere suggestion of replacing Iran undermines the integrity of the World Cup, why doing so would cause lasting damage to the sport and why, ultimately, it probably won’t happen.
Iran wants to play
It’s important to understand these reported remarks in context.
As it stands, Iran is set to play New Zealand, Egypt and Belgium this summer, with two matches being hosted in Los Angeles and the other in Seattle.
If both the US and Iran finish second in their respective groups, they would then play each other in the round of 32 in Dallas on July 3.
And while the war between the two nations is causing obvious complications, the signs are that Iran wants to be involved in the tournament and is working on ways to do so safely.
That came after Trump said Team Melli was welcome at the tournament but suggested playing in the US may not be appropriate “for their own life and safety.”
This week, though, an Iranian government spokesperson said the team was preparing for “proud and successful participation” in the World Cup and said it would play its matches in the US, per the Associated Press.
FIFA president Infantino is also confident that Iran will play as planned, saying last week that they would “for sure.”
“We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would definitely help,” he said at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum.
“But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”
Italy’s shortcomings
But even if Iran did decide not to play for whatever reason, it shouldn’t matter what a special envoy – or who they represent – wants to happen.
Italy failed to qualify. It had multiple chances to do so, but squandered them all, losing to world No. 65 Bosnia and Herzegovina in the playoff final.
Yes, the nation has a rich history in the game, but the soccer team is currently a shadow of its former self. In short, the Azzurri are just not very good at the moment.
There’s also no reason why Italy should replace Iran over a host of other teams. Denmark, for example, also missed out at the same stage, losing in its playoff final to the Czech Republic. The Danes also have a much better recent history in the tournament.
But surely, if there was one more spot available, it should go to a team in the AFC in which Iran sits, with many teams missing out during the initial qualifying period.
The United Arab Emirates would be the obvious choice after it was eliminated by Iraq in qualification.
And the sounds from Italy suggest they might not even accept such a proposal.
“It’s not appropriate, you qualify on the pitch,” was the opinion of Italy’s minister of sport, Andrea Abodi, according to ANSA, the national news agency.
What FIFA can do
In any sense, due process would need to take place to find a replacement, if one was even needed. It can’t be left up to any particular Italy fan wanting their team to be there.
Qualifying for the World Cup, the world’s biggest sporting spectacle, is borderline sacred. Doing so is a career highlight for many players.
In its own statutes, FIFA says it would have “sole discretion” and “take whatever action is deemed necessary” should a team withdraw from the World Cup and would be able to replace it with another.
According to BBC Sport, though, sources say FIFA has no plans to replace Iran with Italy. CNN Sports has asked FIFA if this is the case.
And while politics has and always will be intertwined with sports, simply selecting Italy to compete would be a totally unforgivable abuse of power that would undermine the many years teams have spent trying to qualify for the event. It would also likely trigger a series of appeals and possible legal action given the prize money involved.The news, though, is yet another controversial headline around this year’s World Cup – one in which the actual sport seems to be taking the back seat.
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