Quelle surprise

The World Cup Is Here. Not Everyone Is Welcome

As the FIFA World Cup gets underway on U.S. soil, a pattern of visa denials and border incidents is casting a dark shadow on the tournament.

◽️ Iraq: Striker Aymen Hussein was held for nearly seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport upon arrival for a pre-tournament friendly. The team’s photographer was denied entry outright over what U.S. Customs and Border Protection described as “vetting concerns,” with no further details provided. Iraq is making its first World Cup appearance in 40 years. (Chicago Sun Times)

◽️ Morocco: At least 90 fans from two major supporters’ groups were denied U.S. visas ahead of the tournament, most under a clause citing doubts about their intention to return home — despite documented travel histories to Russia 2018, Qatar 2022, and the Paris Olympics. Some lost tens of thousands of dirhams in non-refundable bookings. (Canary)

◽️ Somalia: FIFA-appointed referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the U.S. and immediately sent back, according to journalist Romain Molina. Even a diplomatic passport secured through the Somali embassy in Nairobi was not enough to gain entry.

Figured this was gonna be useful sooner or later....

Since it's the calm before the storm, wondering if there is interest in running a "Pick-em"-esque pool or two for the tourney.

If so, I set one up...  https://fantasy.espn.com/free-...

This is for the "Group Stage" of the tourney.  There is also a knockout stage we can set up if anyone cares.

DM me for the PW.  For this group, the limit is 1 entry per account on ESPN.