Turin Juventus footballers met with US President Donald Trump at the White House during the Club World Cup in the United States.
According to The Athletic, the team was supposed to be preparing for the evening match with Al Ain at the 2025 FIFA World Cup, but the team's management and several players headed to the Oval Office.
Juventus players on meeting with Trump
During the 16-minute press briefing in the Oval Office, several players, including U.S. soccer players Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah, stood behind Trump and listened as he discussed a possible attack on Iran, how to avoid a civil war in the U.S. and the travel bans imposed by his administration.
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At one point, Trump asked if a woman could join the Juventus men's team.
“It was all a surprise to me, to be honest – they told us we had to go and I had no choice but to go. I was shocked, to be honest. It was a bit weird. When he started talking about politics with Iran and all that, I thought: I just want to play football,” Weah said.
The Juventus delegation to the White House included club owner John Elkann, chief executive Maurizio Scanavino, general manager Damien Comolli and director of football strategy Giorgio Chiellini.
Also present were the footballers, in addition to McKennie and Weah, Dusan Vlahovic, Manuel Locatelli, Ten Koopmeiners, Federico Gatti and the team's head coach Igor Tudor went to meet with the US President.
In the first round of the group stage at the Club World Cup, Juventus thrashed Al Ain from the UAE with a score of 5:0. The Bianconeri will play their next game against Moroccan club Wydad on June 22.
