FIFA chief to meet White House over smoke near World Cup final
Gianni Infantino and White House officials are set to discuss air quality before Spain face Argentina at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is due to meet White House officials Friday as wildfire smoke hangs over the New York area ahead of the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium.
The meeting will focus on possible health and safety risks for players and supporters before Spain face Argentina on Sunday, according to Sky Sports. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. local time in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
CBS Sports reported that a change to the schedule is still considered unlikely, even with air quality concerns in the region.
The smoke has been tied to more than 100 fires near Canada’s border with Minnesota, which have affected air quality across parts of the northeastern and midwestern United States this week. Local officials in affected areas have advised residents to remain indoors when possible.
Conditions had improved by Friday, and New York’s statewide emergency had expired. Forecasts also offered some help for organizers: rain is possible Saturday afternoon and evening in the New York area, which could clear some smoke from the air.
The National Weather Service office for New York said on social media Friday that smoke was still present, particularly farther south, but that it should be weaker than the previous day. The agency said smoke could build again overnight into Saturday morning, with “filtered sunshine” otherwise expected.
For Sunday at 3 p.m. in East Rutherford, the current forecast calls for clear skies and temperatures near 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
On the soccer side, both finalists continued their preparations Friday. Spain and Argentina trained outdoors in New Jersey as planned, according to CBS Sports.
Other matches in the area and around the league have already offered a glimpse at how officials are handling the smoky spell. Gotham FC’s NWSL match against the Washington Spirit was played Wednesday at Citi Field during worse conditions, though there were two hydration breaks in each half.
Major League Soccer took a different route Thursday, postponing the Chicago Fire’s match against the Vancouver Whitecaps because of the conditions.
New York City FC player Kevin O’Toole said Thursday at an MLS media event that players in a match of this size would likely want to play through the conditions if possible.
“I think for a game of that magnitude, I think the players on both sides will be happy to play through it,” O’Toole said. He added that he had trained outdoors that morning and that air quality was noticeable, but had not stopped him from working.
O’Toole also pointed to difficult weather conditions during soccer across the United States, including extreme heat, and said he hoped the smoke would not harm the occasion.
White House World Cup task force executive director Andrew Giuliani said Friday that officials have been talking about the issue and are tracking it closely.
“There’s been discussion about it, and we have somebody with the National Weather Service that sits in FIFA headquarters there, so we’re monitoring closely,” Giuliani said at a briefing.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.