The 2026 World Cup starts tomorrow and somehow, before a single ball has been kicked, this tournament has already descended into absolute shambles. A Somali referee was denied entry after an 11‑hour interrogation. Entire squads from African and Asian nations searched like drug mules. Fans stranded, journalists blocked and Gianni Infantino, who once delivered that excruciating “today I feel Qatari, I feel gay, I feel a migrant worker” speech, has said absolutely nothing. Call it a World Cup if you want. I call it a humiliation ritual in cleats.
Ian Wright has lambasted the “World Cup of chaos” after a Somali referee was denied entry to the United States in the last few days.
African official Omar Artan was turned away at Miami International Airport on Saturday by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) due to “vetting concerns.”
“I’ve 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, who will be working on the World Cup for ITV this summer.
“You know something: I’m laughing but it’s not funny, it’s actually not funny and something has to be said. The expensive tickets, the most expensive tickets ever, expensive accommodation, transport through the roof. It has to be said.
“Is this how the hosts behave really for the greatest game, the greatest tournament in the world, is this how the hosts behave?
“You know who I feel for? I feel for the American fans who are desperate for this, American soccer fans who are desperate for this, how embarrassed they must be. How embarrassing for them this must be.
“This is the World Cup, this is a World Cup of chaos. Whoever wins this World Cup is going to have to go through some serious chaos to get this done.”
The Independant
Visa Blocks, Transit Costs, And FIFA Silence
I cannot believe what I am watching. Omar Artan, a Somali referee, held the correct visa and the proper paperwork. He was poised to become the first Somali to officiate a World Cup. Instead, US immigration officials interrogated him for 11 hours in Miami and then sent him home. Somalia is on Trump’s travel ban list. No reason given. Just a lifetime of achievement erased by a bureaucrat’s stamp.
And it is not just him. The Uzbekistan and Senegal squads got searched by sniffer dogs. These are millionaire footballers from Manchester City, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich. They were treated like potential drug mules because of where they were born. Iranian journalists and backroom staff have been blocked. Ninety percent of Moroccan fans with tickets have been denied entry. Meanwhile, the train ride to a Chicago stadium that normally costs $8 is now $200 on match days. New Jersey Transit is facing $50 million in extra costs, and FIFA, which will make $11 billion in profit, refuses to pay.
Where is Gianni Infantino? The man who gave that bizarre, performative speech about feeling Qatari and African is silent. He only feels African when it is convenient. FIFA is a rotten organization. Trump’s America is humiliating the world, and organisers are pricing out and locking out the fans who saved up for years.
Wright is right. Chaos defines this World Cup. I sympathise with American soccer fans who desperately want this tournament to go well. Embarrassment must consume them. Someone must say something. Ian Wright already has.
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Pick any one of the US actions listed in this story and then take a step back and imagine if it had happened in the run up to Qatar 2022. Can you imagine the outrage?