WANA (Apr 23) – Italy’s Minister of Economy, Giancarlo Giorgetti, has strongly criticized a proposal by a senior envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump to replace Iran with Italy in the FIFA World Cup, describing the idea as “shameful.”

 

In an interview with La Repubblica, Giorgetti stated that such a suggestion is not only unacceptable but also a source of embarrassment for Italy. “I consider this situation shameful for our country, and I am embarrassed by it,” he said.

 

The remarks came after Paolo Zampolli, Trump’s special envoy for global partnerships, told Financial Times that he had proposed the idea of Italy replacing Iran in the World Cup. Zampolli noted that, as someone of Italian origin, seeing the Azzurri compete in a tournament hosted in the United States would be “a dream.”

 

In recent months, some Western media outlets have raised the possibility of excluding Iran from international competitions—an issue that has drawn mixed reactions across political and sporting circles.

 

Meanwhile, the Italy national football team, despite its rich history and four World Cup titles, has failed to qualify for the tournament for the third consecutive time, keeping its absence a topic of discussion among football analysts.