Alwaght- United States president Donald Trump on Thursday issued a thinly veiled threat to nations who would support Morocco's bid to stage the 2026 football World Cup, in a Twitter post backing the joint US, Mexico and Canada bid.
Morocco is the only rival to the US, Canada and Mexico bid, which the world football body FIFA will consider on 13 June.
“The US has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup. It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the US bid. Why should we be supporting these countries when they don’t support us (including at the United Nations)?,” US president said on Twitter.
The Morocco bid is expected to receive strong backing from FIFA's African and West Asia countries.
While the Arab world and Africa are set to support Morocco’s 2026 World Cup bid, thus giving the African Kingdom an edge over United 26, Saudi Arabia has broken ranks and chosen to lend its support to the joint Canada, Mexico and the United States bid commonly known as United 26.
France plans to back Morocco, the country's football federation president told local media recently, while Russia, which will host the 2018 tournament this summer, has said it will also vote for the north African nation's bid. The US previously hosted the World Cup in 1994.
