The Somali referee Omar Artan touched down in Mogadishu on Wednesday, his World Cup dream shattered after an 11-hour interrogation at Miami International Airport. US officials accused him of having links to terrorist organisations in his homeland. He was the most high-profile victim of a visa crisis that has engulfed the 2026 World Cup before a ball has been kicked.
Iran have been forced to switch their base to Mexico. Their fans have had all their tickets cancelled by US authorities. Members of the delegation have been refused visas. Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was questioned for several hours at a Chicago airport before being allowed into the country.
“Infantino tells critics to 'chill' as World Cup opens with visa crisis; Somali referee denied entry.”
Fifa president Gianni Infantino faced the media for the first time in three years on the eve of Thursday's opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium. His response? 'Just, you know, chill, relax.' He began with a 35-minute monologue urging journalists to focus on football, then took questions for 40 minutes. 'It is unfortunate what happened to the referee from Somalia,' Infantino said. 'But again, we don't control everything. We try, we'll discuss, we'll speak, we'll see. Maybe sometimes it's good as well to just, you know, chill, relax.'
There were no words of support for Artan. No regrets expressed. The United Nations had earlier called for an American rethink on immigration, but Infantino defended the US's right to control its borders. 'We don't live on the moon, we live on planet Earth,' he said. 'We have to respect that we are not kings of the world, who can rule over governments and police forces.' He claimed a World Cup largely played in the United States would have been 'impossible' without Donald Trump.
The tournament opens with a fixture that stirs powerful memories. On June 11, 2010, South African winger Siphiwe Tshabalala fired a thunderous strike into the top corner against Mexico at Soccer City, Johannesburg. Peter Drury's commentary boomed: 'Goal for South Africa, goal for all Africa.' The 85,000 fans erupted. Sixteen years later, Tshabalala, now 41, writes children's books and participates in the Fifa Player Executive Programme. He recently attended Harvard Business School. 'That was always going to be the biggest goal in my career, no matter what came after, because it touched so many lives,' he told Fifa in 2020. 'Although it happened ten years ago, it still feels like yesterday.'