CAIRO: As an Egyptian sports journalist who has spent the past 16 years dedicated to covering Arab athletes at the pinnacle of their respective disciplines, this FIFA World Cup was supposed to be one of the most exciting events I have ever covered.
With an unprecedented eight Arab teams qualified for the expanded showpiece in North America, normally I would be chomping at the bit to dive deep into the different story lines surrounding each one of those squads, and would be teeming with anticipation over how they will fare when the competition kicks off.
Instead, I am filled with anger and frustration, and can’t get myself to care about the football with so much ugliness unfolding in the build-up to this World Cup.
And I know I’m not alone.
Over the past week, every hour has spawned a World Cup-related headline more infuriating than the one before it.
As teams, officials, journalists and fans begin to make their way to the US, which will host 78 of the 104 World Cup matches (the rest are in Canada and Mexico), surreal stories have taken over every news cycle.
Iraq striker Aymen Hussein was questioned for seven hours at O’Hare airport in Chicago after his arrival to the US, while team photographer Talal Salah was denied entry into the host nation.
I use the term “host” loosely here because you have to let people in to be called a “host.”
The Iranian team had to wait until the very last minute to get their US visas, only to find out that at least 15 of their officials and staffers had their visa applications rejected.
Iran, who play two of their group games in Los Angeles and a third one in Seattle, had to move their base camp from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico across the border due to security concerns and strict US visa mandates that reportedly prohibit them from overnight stays within the country; meaning the Iranians must commute in and out of the US the same day as their games, every time.
More news from Iran emerged on Tuesday, two days before World Cup kick-off, claiming that the US has revoked its allocation of tickets for its World Cup group games.
Journalist Tariq Panja gave an update on the matter, saying that FIFA officials suggested “they’ve been unable to sell tickets directly into Iran” because the country is on the OFAC sanctions list, which has very strict rules over financial transactions.
With Iran under sanctions, FIFA says that it is “working closely with the Iran Football Federation to identify compliant solutions that maximize opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches,” Panja reported on social media.
This is the first time a World Cup host nation is in an active war with a country that has qualified for the tournament, and it is a situation that is proving increasingly problematic.
Scores of journalists and fans, particularly from Africa and the Middle East, have said that their visa applications have been denied, leaving a bitter taste among people who have dedicated time, money and effort to attend the World Cup to no avail.
According to FIFA’s rules, “it is expected that a significant number of individuals will enter and exit the host country/host countries” during a World Cup, “in order to cover the needs of the respective groups of individuals, the government (of a host nation) is requested to generally establish a visa-free environment or facilitate existing visa procedures for them. Regardless, any visa procedures must be applied in a non-discriminatory manner.
“The success of the Competition and the reputation of the host country/host countries achieved through the hosting of the Competition will mainly depend on the ease with which fans and other individuals may visit the host country/host countries (also at short notice) in connection with the Competition …”
The reality could not be farther from this.
The latest news to rock the World Cup came earlier this week when Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was interrogated for 11 hours at Miami International Airport before he was denied entry into the US and was put on a plane back to Istanbul, the city he had flown in from.
Artan, named referee of the year in 2025 by the Confederation of African Football, was one of 52 selected to officiate at this World Cup in North America, and one of just seven African referees chosen for the tournament.
“I am very, very disappointed. I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup,” Artan told The New York Times.
“I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa.”
The US Customs and Border Protection said that Artan’s entry was denied over “vetting concerns.” FIFA said that it did not get involved in a country’s immigration processes and that Artan would no longer be officiating at this World Cup.
The US government has imposed strict travel bans or partial restrictions on numerous countries, including World Cup-qualified nations such as Iran, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Haiti and DR Congo.
With the US very openly adopting a more closed-off policy on its borders and visas already a major issue for the past 18 months or so, none of what has happened this past week of World Cup arrivals (or non-arrivals) has been surprising. But that does not make it any more acceptable.
A country hosting a successful World Cup — or Olympic Games, which the US will host in LA in 2028 — hinges on the fact that it is willing to open its doors and literally welcome the world.
What is happening is the exact opposite and no one can do anything about it, not even FIFA, who are acting as mere bystanders.
So much for FIFA’s overused motto “Football Unites the World.” What world do they speak of?
Former England and Arsenal striker and current pundit Ian Wright took to social media to express his ire over Artan’s treatment.
“I just read that the Somalian referee has been denied entry. Every few hours, it’s another story, another story about fans denied, players denied, officials denied, journalists denied. Now, refs,” said Wright in a video posted on his Instagram.
“Something has to be said. Expensive tickets, most expensive tickets ever. Expensive accommodation, transport through the roof. Is this how the hosts behave? Really, for the greatest game, greatest tournament in the world?
“Is this how the hosts behave? Are we not hearing more? After seeing how Qatar got dragged? Are we not hearing more? Is this the spirit of football? Really?
“Do you know who I feel for? I feel for the American fans who are desperate for this. How embarrassed they must be. How embarrassing for them this must be.
“This is the World Cup of chaos. Whoever wins this World Cup is going to have to go through some serious, serious chaos to get this done.”
Former Egypt and Tottenham striker Ahmed Hossam “Mido” also addressed such issues on his show “Odet El Lebs” on Tuesday, and predicted “it’s clear that we will witness a World Cup full of problems.”
“Fans from across the world have booked plane tickets and accommodation to attend games and enjoy the World Cup and their visas were rejected. And that has understandably created so much anger among the public,” Mido added.
“Everyone is wondering, where is the media, and all the people who were criticizing Qatar during the World Cup four years ago? Where are they now? The very same people who were heavily criticizing Qatar, who I believe staged an incredible World Cup, one that honors the whole world, not just Arabs, where are they now? They are staying silent.
“Still, the responsibility falls on the shoulders of FIFA, who should guarantee, at the very least, the seamless entry of all the key figures related to the World Cup. It’s necessary for the success of any major event.”
Mido also cited the organizational issues that arose during the FIFA Club World Cup in the US last year and warned that similar problems, such as games being suspended due to the weather, could “kill the tournament.”
He added: “I hope that organizers work on the issues that have arisen before kick-off because we want to enjoy the World Cup. We don’t want to see a team competing without a key player or key personnel as they travel from one country to another or one state to another. We don’t want to see games begin then get suspended for 30 minutes. This kind of stuff will kill the tournament in my opinion, and will kill the idea of enjoying a tournament the whole world has been waiting for for four years.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on multiple occasions that all teams and their traveling fans would be “welcome in America.” But he should not have made promises he could not keep, especially when he has no authority over US immigration policies.
What FIFA does have authority over is who gets to host a World Cup to begin with, and there is certainly no turning back now.
People like to say that sports and politics do not mix. I have never subscribed to that theory. Sport is a reflection of society and is 100 percent intertwined with politics — believing otherwise is an idealistic and unrealistic notion.
This World Cup is the ultimate proof of that.
While the “beautiful game” so often rises above all else and manages to briefly distract us from the real world; this time, sadly, I don’t think that will be — or should be — the case.
This time, reality trumps all else.
