{"id":2533,"date":"2026-06-09T12:20:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?p=2533"},"modified":"2026-06-09T12:20:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:20:19","slug":"visa-row-rocks-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?p=2533","title":{"rendered":"Visa row rocks World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

from SAAD MUSE<\/em> in Mogadishu & AMADOU NDIAYE<\/em> in Dakar
\nMOGADISHU<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 CONCERNS are mounting among football stakeholders and supporters worldwide over what critics describe as the increasing politicisation of the sport by the vindictive United States ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the Canada, Mexico and the chief culprit US.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The debate intensified after Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, Africa\u2019s leading match official, was barred from entering the United States despite being expected to participate in World Cup football assignments.<\/p>\n

The circumstances surrounding the development have sparked widespread reaction among football supporters, administrators, coaches, players, commentators and public figures, many of whom argue that football should remain a unifying global force rather than become entangled in political disputes.<\/p>\n

Football has long been celebrated as the world\u2019s most popular sport, bringing together players, coaches, officials, supporters and nations from diverse cultural, political and religious backgrounds.<\/p>\n

Critics contend that any restrictions affecting referees, players, coaches, journalists or supporters undermine the spirit of inclusivity and unity that the FIFA World Cup is intended to embody.<\/p>\n

Among those expressing concern is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who sharply criticised the United States policies that could affect participation in the tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe World Cup is supposed to be a celebration of the world as a whole\u2026 this is anathema to what this tournament is supposed to be about,\u201d Mamdani said.<\/p>\n

Luis Gonzalez echoed similar sentiments.<\/p>\n

\u201cSports shouldn’t be stages for this kind of restriction or punishment; athletes compete for their record, not for their leaders\u2014they’re not to blame. In this case, FIFA’s best move would have been to anticipate and move their matches out of the US,\u201d Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n

Several commentators argued that football’s governing bodies must ensure all qualified participants are treated equally regardless of nationality.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis World Cup will go down as the worst ever due to the USA’s treatment of other teams. FIFA should have disqualified the USA from hosting,\u201d said commentator Mafrigos Mafrigos.<\/p>\n

Diego Pietruszka stated: \u201cIf a country doesn’t accept all participants to a competition, they shouldn’t let it be the host.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Fco. Padilla Machorro questioned whether hosting obligations were being fully met.<\/p>\n

\u201cFIFA should have cancelled the United States as host for that reason and for many other things it doesn’t fulfil as a host,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mahdi Toure also expressed frustration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Americans’ control over our players (Senegal) is way over the top, and it’s straight-up disrespectful to me,\u201d Toure remarked.<\/p>\n

Calls for stronger action were also voiced by Francois Juhen, who said: \u201cWe should simply boycott this World Cup in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fatoobabel stated: \u201cI don’t know why we agreed to let the USA host the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some commentators argued that the treatment of African football stakeholders was particularly concerning and racist.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfrican federations should simply recall their teams or refuse to play on American soil,\u201d said Maxi.<\/p>\n

Andre Auguste suggested supporters could use their economic influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cStop watching the World Cup in the United States, and you’ll see that the Yanks will quickly calm down. No viewers, no advertising revenue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mal OE described the reported treatment of Artan as inconsistent with football\u2019s values.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurning back Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was Africa’s best referee in 2025 and the first Somali selected for the men’s World Cup despite a diplomatic passport, is extremely shameful. This act negates the tournament’s unity and diversity ideals,\u201d Mal OE said.<\/p>\n

Sebuti Matsome added: \u201cSports should bring people together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brave Man Kadima argued that FIFA had erred in awarding hosting rights to the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cFIFA made a big mistake by giving the United States the World Cup,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Archiduc de Boulogne called for a review of the hosting arrangements.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to cancel this World Cup and hold it in Europe, in Africa, or elsewhere. It\u2019s a disgrace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Punisher Airiaimka questioned the suitability of the host nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an idea to organise a football World Cup in the USA. Visa refusals for certain countries are a disgrace,\u201d Airiaimka said.<\/p>\n

L\u00e9zard Th\u00e9iste criticised FIFA’s approach, while Solani Thom Tanjo urged football authorities to be more selective when awarding hosting rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cFIFA should avoid awarding World Cup hosting rights to nations at war or likely to initiate wars,\u201d Tanjo said.<\/p>\n

As preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup continue, growing numbers of football stakeholders are calling on FIFA and host authorities to ensure that the tournament remains true to its founding principles of inclusion, equality and global unity.<\/p>\n

For many supporters, referees, players, coaches and administrators, the World Cup is more than a sporting event.<\/p>\n

It is a celebration of humanity’s shared passion for football and a reminder that the game has the power to unite people across borders, cultures and political differences.<\/p>\n

– CAJ News<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

from SAAD MUSE in Mogadishu & AMADOU NDIAYE in Dakar MOGADISHU\u00a0\u2013 CONCERNS are mounting among football stakeholders and supporters worldwide over what critics describe as the increasing politicisation of the sport by the vindictive United States ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the Canada, Mexico and the chief […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,110,19,13],"tags":[526],"class_list":["post-2533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive","category-football-sports","category-football","category-sports","tag-us-president-donald-trump-with-fifa-counterpart-gianni-infantino"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/US-PresideNT-Donald-Trump-with-FIFA-President-Gianni-Infantino-150x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/US-PresideNT-Donald-Trump-with-FIFA-President-Gianni-Infantino-300x203.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/US-PresideNT-Donald-Trump-with-FIFA-President-Gianni-Infantino-768x519.jpg","large":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/US-PresideNT-Donald-Trump-with-FIFA-President-Gianni-Infantino-1024x692.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/US-PresideNT-Donald-Trump-with-FIFA-President-Gianni-Infantino.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/US-PresideNT-Donald-Trump-with-FIFA-President-Gianni-Infantino.jpg","post-thumbnail":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/US-PresideNT-Donald-Trump-with-FIFA-President-Gianni-Infantino-300x300.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"administrator","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d5ebfe727f13fb325bd400aaaf5e789d3e2e20898883d9ae8e3d3d42d58cef?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"from SAAD MUSE in Mogadishu & AMADOU NDIAYE in Dakar MOGADISHU\u00a0\u2013 CONCERNS are mounting among football stakeholders and supporters worldwide over what critics describe as the increasing politicisation of the sport by the vindictive United States ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the Canada, Mexico and the chief […]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Exclusive","Football","Football","Sports"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":9,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":5,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/US-PresideNT-Donald-Trump-with-FIFA-President-Gianni-Infantino.jpg",1039,702,false],"medium":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/US-PresideNT-Donald-Trump-with-FIFA-President-Gianni-Infantino-300x203.jpg",300,203,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/US-PresideNT-Donald-Trump-with-FIFA-President-Gianni-Infantino-150x150.jpg",150,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"administrator","author_link":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?author=2"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d5ebfe727f13fb325bd400aaaf5e789d3e2e20898883d9ae8e3d3d42d58cef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"Exclusive<\/a> Football<\/a> Football<\/a> Sports<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2533"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2535,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2533\/revisions\/2535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}