From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
FIFA says rescued Thai boys won’t attend World Cup final
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleMOSCOW, Russia — The soccer world’s governing body FIFA welcomes the rescue of 12 Thai boys from a cave, but says they are too weak to attend Sunday’s World Cup final in Moscow.
Elite foreign divers and Thai Navy SEALs saved the final batch of four boys on Tuesday after an 18-day ordeal that captivated the world.
FIFA boss Gianni Infantino had invited the boys’ Wild Boars football team to the final “as our guests” last week.
But FIFA says it had been informed “that due to medical reasons, the boys will not be in a position to travel to Moscow.”
“FIFA’s priority remains the health of everyone involved in the operation and we will look into finding a new opportunity to invite the boys to a FIFA event to share with them a moment of communion and celebration,” a spokesman says.
— AFP
The Times of Israel Community.