Alexi Lalas isn’t worried about the United States serving as the primary host of the FIFA men’s World Cup this summer. In fact, he thinks it will reinforce President Donald Trump’s commitment to the sport and his legacy as “the soccer president.”
In an appearance on The Ryen Russillo Show released Thursday as Fox’s coverage of the World Cup kicked off, Lalas blamed criticism of the U.S. as a host country on “derangement” toward Americans while offering strong support for Trump as the face of America’s embrace of soccer.
“If you want to find something to complain about this summer, you will find it. There’s a million different things,” Lalas said.
“A lot of it … is going to be steeped in the derangement of America and the way we are viewed at times. Raise our hand, pompous, arrogant, American exceptionalism, all that kind of stuff. And so a lot of it is through that lens. But I think a lot of it is looking at something to be aggrieved at, and if it’s not there, either making it up or elevating something that doesn’t deserve (it).”
Certainly, the news media and social media algorithms understand that negative content, particularly around Trump, is more likely to generate interest. Yet in the case of the World Cup, the concerns are substantive.
Recent news stories show some support staff and referees being denied work visas for the tournament, the Iranian national team staking out in Mexico, and a White House eager to link the World Cup to its Freedom250 celebration. Yet many fans were priced out of the tournament by FIFA, whose lead executive, Gianni Infantino, reportedly has an extraordinarily close relationship with Trump, and after immigration enforcement disrupted some gatherings around last year’s FIFA Club World Cup (which Lalas did speak out against), some worry the same could happen once again this summer.
Lalas chalked up the administration’s interest in the World Cup to Trump understanding “soft power … better than anybody.”
“This is an advertisement to the world,” Lalas said.
“I love the fact that I cannot think of another administration where there has been more soccer emanating from the White House and the Oval Office. And regardless of your political affiliation here, having the president of the United States invested in a World Cup, that’s a good thing. Alright? Because again, it’s happening on his watch. He understands soft power, I think, better than anybody. I think he’s going to go down as the soccer president. But it behooves us, and he recognizes that it’s a reflection on him, that this goes well.”
The fact that Lalas is pro-Trump is not news, though he has criticized the president at times. This is unlikely to be the last time this summer that the polarizing Fox commentator offers support for the president in the context of the World Cup.
However, there are real concerns around the tournament that go far beyond whether one simply likes or dislikes the president. And while Lalas acknowledged certain issues with “infrastructure” in the cities where games will be played, he appeared to downplay the bigger potential issues to make a broader political statement.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.