President Donald Trump threatened to move some 2026 World Cup games out of certain cities if they don’t crack down on crime and address safety concerns ahead of the event. Now, FIFA is suggesting they might follow through on his threat.

“If somebody is doing a bad job and I feel there are unsafe conditions, I would call (head of FIFA) Gianni (Infantino), who’s phenomenal, and I would say, ‘Let’s move it to another location.’ He wouldn’t love to do it, but he would do it very easily,” Trump said at a Cabinet meeting earlier this week.

He made similar remarks previously, suggesting that if he felt California Governor Gavin Newsom wasn’t doing a good job of making Los Angeles and San Francisco safe for fans, those games would likewise be relocated.

FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, initially suggested the President had no authority to make such a request. And officials seemed to scoff at the threats, with POLITICO reporting that officials “are not taking Trump’s remarks seriously.

But now, FIFA has seemingly flip-flopped on the matter.

FIFA warns World Cup host cities that they had better get their act together

FIFA initially rejected Trump’s authority, with vice president Victor Montagliani stating that the tournament falls under the soccer body’s jurisdiction and the sport is “bigger than any individual or country.”

Turns out, maybe not so much.

“Safety and security are the top priorities at all FIFA events worldwide,” the group said in a statement, according to Front Office Sports. “Safety and security are obviously the government’s responsibility, and they decide what is in the best interest of public safety.”

“We hope every one of our 16 host cities will be ready to successfully host and fulfill all necessary requirements.”

The reference to the government’s responsibility is an explicit nod to Trump’s authority to declare whether or not a host city is considered safe enough to hold the World Cup matches.

READ MORE: Netting History – The 10 Best FIFA World Cup Goals Ever Scored

Which other cities might be affected?

Aside from Los Angeles and San Francisco, the President has suggested World Cup games could be moved out of Seattle and Boston.

“I love the people of Boston, and I know the games are sold out, but your mayor is not good,” Trump said, referring to the latter host. “She’s intelligent, but she’s radical left, and they’re taking over parts of Boston. … Boston better clean up their act.”

President Trump also hinted at moving the 2028 Summer Olympic Games out of Los Angeles for the same reasons.

“I could say the same thing for the Olympics, ‘cause you know we have events that are in different locations for the Olympics, it’s based in L.A.,” Trump said. “If I thought L.A. was not going to be prepared properly, I would move it to another location if I had to.”

Several cities stand to lose a boatload of revenue if they don’t secure their crime-ridden areas.