MEXICO.- The president of the FIFA, Gianni Infantinodescribed on Wednesday as “regrettable” the case of the Somali referee who will not be able to participate in the World Cup 2026after USA will deny you a visa to enter the country.
The US authorities denied entry to Omar Artan upon arrival at Miami and ended up being removed from the tournament, which begins Thursday in Mexico City.
“It is unfortunate what happened to Omar, the referee of Somalia. But, again, we don’t control everything,” said the head of world football’s governing body at a press conference a day before the opening match at the stadium. Aztec.
“We try to find solutions, but we must respect that we are not the kings of the world, who can impose their will on governments and police forces; we are a sports organization,” he responded to a question about whether FIFA had “lost control” after Artan’s visa was rejected.
Mexico will organize the World Cup 2026 next to USA and Canada. Previously it hosted those of 1970 and 1986 alone.
El Tri will face South Africa on Thursday at the Azteca, which for the third time in its history hosts the opening match of a World Cup.
The stadium “is blessed by the football gods,” Infantino said. “He’s seen incredible things.”
Netherlands opens its doors for its first practice
One day after landing in Kansas Citythe selection of Netherlands He held his first open training session this Wednesday in front of around a thousand fans.
The pupils of Ronald Koeman They exercised lightly for two hours under a powerful sun at the facilities of the Kansas City CurrentNorth American women’s league team (NWSL).
The defender Virgil van Dijkcaptain of the Oranje squad, and his teammates thanked the fans for their support, most of them wearing orange t-shirts.
Without the wave of European fans having yet arrived, among the spectators were supporters of the KC Current and residents of the town of Riverside, where the training camp is located, who obtained a place in a lottery.
“We are very fans of soccer and KC Current,” he told AFP Cade Housea local resident, while watching his eight-year-old son play in front of the grass.
