The 2026 World Cup begins on Thursday night, but there were a number of concerns ahead of the tournament, including the safety of some players and soccer fans.
Coach Gianni Infantino expresses concerns about safety at World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
Australian star Our Mabille has expressed relief at the fact his family will not be traveling to the World Cup amid ongoing safety concerns.
The tournament begins on Thursday night, with Mexico and South Africa set to play in the first match. But preparations for the World Cup have been plagued by concerns among fans and players about safety.
The Iranian team was forced to move its training base to Mexico amid the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel. There are other concerns as well, with both Senegal and Uzbekistan subjecting them to rigorous testing and testing upon arrival. Meanwhile, Somali referee Omar Altan was refused entry into the country despite being selected to referee the tournament.
Australia’s Mayville, who is included in the Australian squad, has now given his views and said he is actually glad his family will not be able to attend in person, due to safety and travel concerns, the Mail reported.
“This time it was better for me to stay home because I had to sort out a lot of things at the last minute,” Mayville said. “The trip would also have been difficult for my mother and my younger siblings to get in and out of. I didn’t want to give them that headache.
Join us on Facebook! For the latest news, analysis and more on Mirror Football’s Facebook page
“Also, to be honest, it might be better for me because it gives me peace of mind knowing my family is safe and watching the game at home.”
Australia will face Turkey in their first Group D match on June 14, before playing against the United States and Paraguay. FIFA president Gianni Infantino tried to allay safety concerns in a bizarre press conference on the eve of the tournament.
Regarding Iran, he said: “I’m very happy, because in March I went to Turkey to watch the Iranian national team play and people said it would be impossible for Iran to come to the World Cup. I promised them they would come and if I have to take a bus to Tehran and drive there, I will.”
He added: “The third point about visas, which we’ve often heard and read about, is that when it comes to the United States, we were able to coordinate the FIFA pass system with the United States government.”
Avel Mabille will not bring his family to the World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
“We’re hearing that the expedited process is working, but it may not necessarily be working for everyone. We’ve gotten the deposits and payments that have to be made to some African countries waived for those coming, and we’ve gotten that for our fans as well.”
“Obviously it’s unfortunate what happened to referee Omar, who is from Somalia, but again, we can’t control everything.”
He continued, “We’ll try, we’ll talk, we’ll see. Sometimes it’s good to ‘chill out’ and relax. We’re working on everything. We’ll try to figure everything out.”
“Screaming right away is the opposite of finding a solution. Believe it or not, we always try to find solutions, but we have to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can overpower the government or the police, we are a sporting organization and we will do our best and do everything possible.
“In conclusion, we want to unite the world. I just want to ask you one thing: If you want to criticize me, you can criticize me. But please promote the unity of the World Cup and feel the excitement of the World Cup when you are a child. We want to unite the world, so I want you to feel that.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
