US Soccer don pull di USA team out of di Under-17 World Cup wey FIFA dey organise for Qatar, sake of safety concerns. Di federation cancel di team pre-tournament camp and di planned participation for di 48-team tournament, wey dem schedule to start on November 19 and end December 13.
For letter to di players, US Soccer tok say di decision come after di US State Department issue Level 3 travel advisory for Qatar on October 23. Di advisory warn Americans make dem reconsider travel because of risk of armed conflict. E cite attacks by Yemen Houthi movement on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on civilian airports and critical infrastructure.
US Soccer tok say di well-being of players and staff na top priority. Di team bin dey Group J and dem suppose open against Montenegro on November 21 before facing Chile and Algeria. Di federation also ask players make dem no comment publicly until FIFA announce di withdrawal.
FIFA respond say di tournament go still kick off as planned. Di world football body tok say security assessments remain unchanged and no new development don affect security around di event. FIFA add say e dey close contact with relevant authorities and say Qatar don host several international events, including FIP Padel World Cup and MotoGP, before di Under-17 World Cup.
Di US State Department advisory mention say hostilities fit escalate quickly beyond di immediate area. FIFA insist say safety and security of all participants and fans remain paramount.
