Trump Thrusts World Cup Into Chaos with Last Minute Travel Shutdown

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2:20Ben Meiselas:Chaos has already erupted at the World Cup before it even started in the United States. That is, as the Trump regime is taking punitive measures against key soccer officials or football officials from certain countries. The United States is now banning Iranian managers and top soccer officials from showing up to attend the World Cup to accompany the team. Other punitive measures are being taken against the Iran soccer or football team. They're not being allowed to stay in the United States after their game is played. They have to immediately go back to Mexico under a bunch of other threats. Also, the United States has been harassing key soccer or football players from Iraq and their managers and officials who have arrived at airports in Chicago and other places.

3:16Ben Meiselas:in the United States. Separately, the Trump regime is sending diplomatic cables, threatening to take unilateral actions against European countries that the Trump regime is calling out for the way they're dealing with the Ebola outbreak, which has largely been caused by the Trump regime's destruction of USAID, CDC, and other critical Ebola detection programs. let's just break down what's going on step by step and I'll also mention that there are a number of nations where fans are totally banned from even showing up to the World Cup I mean if you take a look at some of the full bands if you're from Haiti if you are from Iran if you are from Senegal Senegal if you're from Ivory Coast or Cote d 'Ivoire you as a fan you can't show up you're not allowed to attend the world cup if you're from algeria tunisia egypt ghana morocco there are severe restrictions placed on you as a fan this is fairly unprecedented stuff right here let's break down what's happening step by step and then in this video i also want to talk about the karma that donald trump is getting us as he is engaged in this behavior the weather forecast for that ufc fight on June 14th, showing that there may be massive thunderstorms in Washington, DC.

4:45Ben Meiselas:There's like a 60 to 65 % chance of rain and thunderstorms that night. And I think this is just the perfect karma based on the way Donald Trump is behaving here. So let's just do it the Midas touch way. Very detailed, very meticulous. Hit subscribe, help us get to 7 million subscribers, double check that you're subscribed. So while the Trump regime threw Tom Barrack, an ambassador to Turkey and someone who Donald Trump selects as an envoy to Syria and other places, he posted, you know, look, the United States is allowing the Iran soccer or football team entry into the United States. We've given them visas.

5:25Ben Meiselas:Look how we can rise above everything when it comes to sports. Well, you should have given them visas not at the very last minute, number one. But number two, you're banning like their key officials who work on the team, like their managers and other people who help coach the team. Here's what we're now learning. Iran says that U.S. has denied visas to key World Cup officials. The Iran Soccer Federation has accused the United States of, quote, vindictive behavior after saying that the visas were refused for key managerial and administrative member of its World Cup team. The Iran Football Federation Secretary General Hedayat Mubani, its vice president Medhi Mohammed Nabi, were among 14 staff, people who were critical to the team.

6:12Ben Meiselas:Just think about all of the team, all of the staff that travels with the soccer or football team. and they were just notified they will not be allowed into the United States. They're banned and the three Iran games are all in the United States. And so it's really unprecedented, punitive stuff. And it's unclear whether Iran's Football Federation president Mehdi Taj will be banned as well, but it seems likely that he will be, although we're following this up. uh, uh, Iran will be staying in Mexico while then, while the world cup is happening and they travel to the United States to play their games in the U S and then the U S said, as soon as your game ends, you basically need to leave immediately.

6:57Ben Meiselas:Iran's world cup team must enter and leave on match days. What, uh, Tehran is explaining Iran's world cup squad has been notified. They must enter and leave us soil on the same day of their matches played in the United States. The country's ambassador to Mexico says. Due to the U.S.-Israel war in Tehran, Iran's team is now based in Mexico instead of their intended site in Tucson, Arizona. Quote, we can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day, Iran's envoy, Abalfazal Pasandia, told reporters explaining the visa restrictions. The Iranian squad has three group matches in the United States, in Los Angeles and in Seattle and the Tasneem news agency, Iran's news agency, said that they've learned that the team manager and all these other critical positions, the member of the national team's media, their foreign affairs security team, all these people were basically banned from showing up to watch the World Cup.

7:56Ben Meiselas:So that's Iran. We go to Iraq. Iraq World Cup striker Hussein questioned for hours at a Chicago airport. Ayman Hussein was held in question for nearly seven hours at Chicago O 'Hare airport after arriving with the squad early on Saturday. An Iraqi sporting official said Hussein was finally allowed in, but the team's photographer was barred from entering the United States, said the official who works for the Iraqi Olympic Committee, but has close contacts with the team. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the reporting questioning and banning of the Iraqi officials and the harassment of the Iraqi striker.

8:44Ben Meiselas:Fans came out in the early hours of the morning to greet the Iraq squad at the airport, holding flags and asking players to pose for pictures. And they didn't see Ayman there and he didn't show up. Hussein's phone was inspected after he arrived. And the national team photographer Talal Salah was held for more than 10 hours, underwent similar phone checks, and was ultimately denied entry into the United States. Iraq is returning to the World Cup for the first time since making their debut 40 years ago. So as these teams are arriving, the Trump regime are seizing their phones, going through all of their phones, and then deciding if they can be here in the United States or not.

9:28Ben Meiselas:And it's not just Iran and Iraq. It's Europe as well under attack from the United States as it relates to the World Cup. U.S. is warning Europe, step up Ebola screening ahead of the World Cup. A State Department cable this week instructed U.S. diplomats to warn European countries of possible consequences if they fail to adopt the Trump administration's Ebola precautions, like the gall that the Trump regime got rid of all Ebola detection and all Ebola precautions. Remember, Elon Musk bragged, oh, we don't think we need the Ebola precautions. Remember, he did that. The Trump regime guts the CDC.

10:07Ben Meiselas:Then there's an Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda. And then the Trump regime attacks Europe for it and then threatens to take, quote, unilateral actions against Europe. It goes on to say, U.S. diplomats were told to ask European countries, implement travel restrictions, and, quote, the failure to adopt similar travel measures may require the United States to adopt unilateral measures against you. Hey, everybody, Ben Micellis here from the Midas Touch Network. I wanted to let you know about my podcast partner, Michael Popak's new law firm. It's called the Popak Firm. Michael Popak's pursuing his dream of starting his own law firm, really based on the popular demand by all the Midas, Mighty, and Legal AFers who were approaching Michael Popak with their cases and saying, can you help us?

11:00Ben Meiselas:And at that time, Popak was not able to. So he went out on his own. He started the Popak Firm, where he is now handling catastrophic injury cases like car accident cases, trucking cases, malpractice cases, big negligence cases, wrongful death cases. So if you or someone you know have a case like this, the consultation with Popak's firm is free. Give him a call. See if you have a case. It's thepopokfirm.com, thepopokfirm.com, or you can call 877-POPOKAF, P-O-P-O-K-A-F. So 1-877-P-O-P-O-K-A-F. Give Michael Popok a call. And I'm really proud of you, Popok. Thanks for all the hard work you're putting in.

11:48Ben Meiselas:And it's not just Ebola and Hantavirus that are worrying health officials in the United States. There's a measles outbreak right now in the United States as a result of RFK Jr.'s anti-vax, conspiracy-laden behavior. And of course, COVID-19 and the flu still exist. And with all of these people showing up, COVID outbreaks, something to be concerned about. you have Andrew Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani's son, is the Nepo kid who's running the FIFA program for the United States inside the United States. And the White House FIFA Task Force says that Andrew Giuliani is briefing the European Union ambassador delegation to Washington, D.C.

12:37Ben Meiselas:as they threaten Europe, as I just noted. As I stated at the outset of this video, Tom Barrack, the United States ambassador to Turkey, posted, proud of our outstanding team at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for their work processing visas for Iran's national football team on their road to FIFA World Cup. Sports transcends borders and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world, to which the Iranian embassy in Turkey responded by saying, You cannot whitewash conduct that violates FIFA regulations and breaches the United States host obligations merely by praising yourself.

13:16Ben Meiselas:Why do you not say that visas were denied to a large portion of the managerial and executive staff, technical advisors, and others who are integral parts of any national football team? You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest levels. By extending your whimsical hostilities against the Iranian nation into the realm of sports, the U.S. government in practice is depriving Iran's national team of its right to play in the World Cup under normal conditions and without undue pressure and stress. This represents the worst possible form of politically biased interference in sport.

13:58Ben Meiselas:FIFA must hold the U.S. accountable for violations of its rules and for the discriminatory treatment of Iran's national football team. So the Iranian team traveled to Turkey, from Turkey to Mexico. They'll stay in Mexico. They'll show up for their games in Los Angeles and Seattle. Then they must leave immediately. But their coaches and managers and key people are not allowed into the United States as the Trump regime is interfering in that, I think, very, very serious way. I want to show this with you, though, because Iran's 2026 World Cup team just dropped this video right here that says the boys are ready to play despite all of the obstacles.

14:40Ben Meiselas:And this is the video that they released, and it's of the Iranian football team or soccer team. And I'll show it to you. It's a very powerful video right here. I think it slaps. It hits pretty hard. Here, let's play this clip right here.

15:02Thank you.

15:33Thank you.

16:05Ben Meiselas:Now, as I mentioned at the outset, I also want to show you the karma that Donald Trump is getting for all of this. The weather forecast at the UFC fight on June 14th, let's pull it up right here. 64 % chance of rain, likely going to be thunderstorms, a couple of thunderstorms, and it's all happening outside. And so that's something to focus on. Will the entire thing be shut down because of weather? That's exactly what Joe Rogan had warned. You can't do this event outside. It's a swamp in DC in June. It's very hot. It's unsafe, and it could rain. So imagine if there's now lightning and thunder that takes place on that day.

16:54Ben Meiselas:Meanwhile, you have Donald Trump making videos saying that he wants to keep the UFC stadium forever at the White House. He just wants it to always look like this junkyard. That's what he wants it to look like. Here's the video that Donald Trump made on that front. You can see it for yourself right here. Let's play it.

17:42We will never, ever take it down.

17:45Ben Meiselas:Now, I also want to highlight, too, what's going on. I mean, Donald Trump said that, you know, the UFC and their parent company, TKO, is going to have to pay for this event, which is$65 million or$70 million or more. I think the taxpayers are going to be paying for a lot of things that are happening in terms of safety and security and otherwise. But Trump is having right-wing oligarchs buy seats for a million dollars and a million and a half dollars. So all you need is 60 oligarchs, which they'll be doing about a million bucks, a million and a half. That reimburses Dana White and the UFC by having these oligarchs do that.

18:25Ben Meiselas:And then Donald Trump is investing in the parent company, TKO, which is the parent company of WWE and the parent company of UFC. They've also received mega investments from Saudi Arabia, which also has those links with Kushner and Kushner's private equity firm Affinity. And one of the leagues that's under TKO is a boxing league, and it's a new boxing league called Zufa Boxing. And there's a law right now called the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act of 2000 that basically prevents exploitation of boxers by certain type of promoters. So the way UFC is run in like a centralized organization, kind of top down so that the UFC fighters are not able to kind of independently, collectively bargain or bargain for themselves and what their fees are and rates are, it's controlled by UFC.

19:22Ben Meiselas:The Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act prevents that from happening in boxing. Well, Dana White, TKO, and the Saudis want that changed so that Zufa boxing can have a UFC-style model and kind of change boxing. And so one can also view the$65 million, and I'm giving you my opinion, even though it's being reimbursed by right-wing oligarchs, This event, as part of a lobbying effort for Zufa Boxing, to repeal the Muhammad Ali Reform Act and replace it with the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which has passed in the House, which is a MAGA legislation to remove some of the protections for individual boxers, which is what TKO Boxing wants.

20:09Ben Meiselas:So I know we covered a lot there, but we'll keep you posted every step of the way. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million subscribers. And thanks so much for watching, everybody. Make sure you hit subscribe. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our sub stack at MidasPlus.com. You'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski, add free episodes of our podcast, and more exclusive content only available at MidasPlus.com.