US visa restrictions anger football fans
After Iraq qualified for the World Cup, fan Abdullah Adnan was unable to get a US visa to see his team's games. He bought tickets for matches against Norway and France, but could not obtain a visa. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
A BBC World Service analysis found that fans from more than a quarter of World Cup participating countries faced US visa restrictions. President Trump's ban list includes Haiti, Iran, Senegal and Ivory Coast, whose citizens are barred from the recommended visa type.
Although Iraq is not on the banned list, Adnan could not get a visa due to the suspension of US consular services after the war with Iran. He went to Jordan, but the US embassy refused him because he was not a Jordanian citizen. He spent about $1,800 on tickets and travel.
Julien Kouadio Adonis, a representative of the Ivory Coast fan association, said: "This is segregation that does not dare to call itself by name, but the evidence is there. Why Africa?" According to him, the association decided not to send fans to the World Cup.
Senegalese fan Aliou Ngom attended the last two World Cups but decided not to apply for a US visa due to difficulties.
The BBC analysis showed that visa refusal rates for citizens of 11 of the 48 World Cup participating countries exceed 40%. This compares to an average of 34% for all countries.
The Fifa Pass system speeds up the visa process, but according to immigration lawyer Celine Attallah, it does not increase the likelihood of approval.