The World Cup returns to North America after 32 years. And just like in ’94, when O.J. Simpson’s police chase threatened to steal the show, the event is not without dramas.
The World Cup returns to North America after 32 years. And just like in ’94, when O.J. Simpson’s police chase threatened to steal the show, the event is not without dramas.
Some fans and participants hoping to enter the United States for the World Cup have complained that restrictive immigration rules have presented a roadblock.
Iraqi soccer player Aymen Hussein, pictured in a mural near Baghdad wearing his No. 18 jersey, was temporarily detained by U.S. immigration officials before being allowed to enter the country for the World Cup.
The countdown is on to the start of the World Cup. The tournament is the biggest in the event's history, with 48 teams competing across the United States, Canada and Mexico. But organizers have faced criticism over ticket prices and geopolitical tensions have complicated travel for some teams and their supporters. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Roger Bennett of Men in Blazers.
Many of the stadiums have been renamed by FIFA for the duration of the tournament because the companies that paid for the naming rights are not FIFA sponsors.
“I had the right papers and everything,” Omar Abdulkadir Artan said in his first interview since he was turned back. He would have been the first Somali to referee a game in the tournament.
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