https://news.sky.com/story/trump-never-rule...y-news-13479013



There are concerns about ICE agents targeting those at World Cup matches who are violating immigration laws, while Human Rights Watch suggests human and civil rights of fans are under threat at the tournament.

Donald Trump's World Cup supremo has told Sky News the US president "never rules anything out" to ensure next year's tournament is staged safely.

But in an exclusive interview, Andrew Giuliani, who heads the White House World Cup task force, said it was "absurd" for the activists to complain about human rights being under threat at the tournament.

Mr Giuliani was speaking as the football world starts to arrive in Washington DC for Friday's tournament draw, when fans can start planning their trips next summer to the US, Canada and Mexico.

But Mr Trump has threatened to take matches away from places run by Democrats where he believes fans could be in danger.

"Safety is key and the president is focused not just on our World Cup, but the safety and security of Americans and those international visitors that are travelling here," Mr Giuliani said.

"He wants specifically the World Cup to be a welcoming event, but he also wants to make sure that it is safe and secure. He wants to make sure that each of these cities are doing everything they can to make sure it is a safe experience."

The Boston, Seattle and San Francisco areas have been highlighted by Mr Trump as locations that could be stripped of hosting.

"The president urges every single governor and every single mayor to do the best they can, whatever their politics are," Mr Giuliani said.

Mr Trump has made protecting the United States a key tenet of his agenda, with the prospect raised of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents targeting those at World Cup matches who are violating immigration laws.

Mr Giuliani said: "There were no raids at Club World Cup games. That was a big narrative going into that.

"But what I can also tell you is that the president never rules anything out when it comes to safely and securely protecting, whether it's stadiums, fan festivals, American citizens and those international visitors that are coming here for an event like the World Cup.

"So I know he's not going to rule anything [out] that can actually help make a stadium make an area safer."

Wow - impressive qualifications and credentials that Mr. Giuliani !

Trump can't simply strip cities of hosting right. It has to be agreed by FIFA.