Faute de visa, la Côte d'Ivoire et le Sénégal joueront le Mondial pour la première fois sans envoyer de supporters
Ivory Coast and Senegal will play in a World Cup for the first time without having been able to send delegations of fans from their country, due to their inability to obtain visas for the United States, Senegalese and Ivorian representatives told AFP on Thursday.
Donald Trump's very strict immigration policy poses problems of entry to the United States for some countries and even goes so far as to affect those involved in the game, with Somali referee Omar Artan being turned away on Saturday, despite having a valid visa.
"The supporters have given up on the trip because the American state does not want to see supporters from certain countries, including Ivory Coast, on its soil. The United States has been clear with us in saying that they do not want to see our supporters," Julien Kouadio Adonis, president of the National Committee of Elephants Supporters (CNSE), told AFP.
"This situation hurts us greatly because it prevents us from fulfilling our sovereign duty, which is to support our team. We could have showcased our culture and our expertise in supporting fans in the stands," adds the head of this organization under the supervision of the Ministry of Sports.
Only a handful of CNSE officials were allowed to travel to the United States. For its three participations in the World Cup (2006, 2010, 2014) or for the Africa Cup of Nations, the organization usually sent several dozen supporters.
In March, Mr. Kouadio told AFP he hoped to send 500 fans across the Atlantic.
The role of the small group of CNSE officials authorized to travel will be "to supervise the Ivorian supporters based in the United States," explains Mr. Kouadio, who adds that even for this delegation, "it was not easy at all to obtain visas. It was necessary to discuss and negotiate to be heard."
Ivory Coast will therefore have to rely on supporters from the diaspora on site, whose number is estimated by the CNSE to be over 1,000.
On the Senegalese side, the country also had to forgo sending official delegations of dozens of supporters as it does during major competitions.
"Since Senegal has been participating in the World Cup, this is the first time we have not sent a delegation due to constraints related to the granting of visas by the United States," Ndèye Dome Thiouf, communications advisor for the Ministry of Sports, told AFP.
The Ministry of Sports, however, attempted to send the presidents of the supporters' organizations, who would be fully funded by the state, but their visas were rejected.
"Personally, I am disappointed. I think that organizing a World Cup should not cause so many problems," laments Pape Mass Gueye, president of the Lebougui supporters group, whose visa was refused.
To support the Lions of Teranga, the Senegalese state will grant 400 tickets per match of the team to Senegalese nationals already present in the territory.
"Your ticket is not a visa," warned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this year.
These restrictions, coupled with the exorbitant cost of match tickets, fuel criticism of a World Cup disconnected from the popular base of football fans.
Ivory Coast is scheduled to play two of its three group matches in the United States, on June 15 and 25 in Philadelphia against Ecuador and Curaçao. Its second match, on June 20, will be played in Toronto, Canada, against Germany.
AFP
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