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Paolo Zampolli, special envoy for global partnerships within the Trump administration, has personally asked both President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino to remove Iran from this summer’s World Cup tournament, to be replaced by Italy, Zampolli’s home country.
Zampolli — who reportedly introduced Trump to his third wife, first lady Melania Trump — is a businessman and a former modeling agent. Speaking to The Financial Times, he said he thinks Iran should be replaced by Italy, citing the U.S.’s current war with Iran and his belief that Italy, a four-time World Cup champion, should be included in the tournament, despite failing to qualify this year.
“I’m an Italian native and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri” — a nickname for the Italian national soccer team — “at a U.S.-hosted tournament,” Zampolli said.
The World Cup this year is being hosted jointly by the North American countries of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
“I confirm I have suggested to Trump and Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup,” Zampolli added.
Trump does not have any authority over who participates in the tournament. Infantino has said that he believes the Iranian team, which has qualified to take part, “has to come.”
“They represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play. Sports should be outside of politics,” Infantino said.
(Notably, FIFA, under Infantino’s leadership, created a “peace” award and gave it to Trump after the U.S. president complained about failing to win the Nobel Peace Prize last year.)
In March, Trump made ambiguous and ominous remarks to Iran about participating in the World Cup, leaving some observers and sports fans to question whether he was threatening the team.
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Iran previously said they wouldn’t participate in the tournament. However, the country has since changed its mind, and this week reiterated that it plans to send its players to the World Cup.
Many Italian officials, reacting to Zampolli’s remarks, dismissed the idea as disrespectful and not feasible.
“Firstly, it is not possible; secondly, it is not appropriate … You qualify on the pitch,” Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said.
“Italy doesn’t need Trump’s support on an issue like this. I think we can manage on our own,” Italian soccer coach Gianni De Biasi said.
Zampolli is known in Washington circles as someone who frequently boasts about his closeness to Trump. According to a New York Times article published earlier this year, he has used his relationship with the president to benefit himself personally, going so far as to allegedly ask officials within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain the mother of his child amid a bitter custody battle.
Zampolli and Trump also share a common acquaintance — Jeffrey Epstein, whom Zampolli, like Trump, regularly associated with years ago.
Indeed, Zampolli’s name appears many times in the Epstein files. In one of those documents, an email from Epstein to a businessman, the alleged child sex trafficker gave a warning about Zampolli.
“Be careful, zampoli is trouble. Lots,” Epstein wrote.
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