Senegal and Ivory Coast without fans at World Cup in USA?

After Iran and Haiti, two more World Cup participating countries ended up on the US "blacklist", only now they are African. Namely, according to The Athletic, United States President Donald Trump signed a proclamation stating that people from Senegal and the Ivory Coast would face travel restrictions.

These do not apply to players, staff, and their immediate relatives, but affect those for whom football is played in the first place - the fans.

If this proclamation remains in effect until the beginning of the tournament, the Lions of Teranga and the Elephants may face their rivals without their fans and their support.

In an interview conducted by The Athletic with Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the task force, last week, he highlighted the importance of security and safety.

"First and foremost, safety and security is the No. 1 thing when it comes to this World Cup. Every visa decision is a national security decision. That's key to highlight."

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Nevertheless, the same source reminded everyone of an interesting statement made by FIFA President Gianni Infantino eight years ago, in which he particularly pinpointed the absurdity of a World Cup without supporters from every participating nation.

"It's obvious when it comes to FIFA competitions, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup."

Yet, times and stances have obviously changed, and even six months before the start of the tournament, it's clear that some national teams will be seriously disadvantaged.

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Finally, as a reminder, Senegal will compete in Group I alongside Norway, France, and one of the playoff winners (either Suriname, Bolivia, or Iraq) and are supposed to play their games against the European countries in New Jersey, USA, while the third clash will take place in Toronto, Canada, which gives the Senegalese a slight hope their fans may be able to watch at least one of their matches.

On the other hand, Ivory Coast will face Ecuador and Curacao in Philadelphia, but, just as in Senegal's case, they'll play their third group stage game against Germany in Toronto, Canada.

Interestingly, despite the restrictions, the Lions of Teranga will face the US national team in a pre-World Cup friendly match on May 31 in Charlotte, USA.