Ruud gullit

FIFA President Gianni Infantino: Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit published an open letter on Wednesday, a day before the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, calling on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign amid growing controversy surrounding U.S. immigration policies.

Recent days have seen a series of incidents involving teams and officials travelling to the tournament, with Iran's national team forced to move its training camp to Mexico and several support staff denied visas. Somali referee Omar Artan was reportedly refused entry into the United States, Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein was held for seven hours at Chicago airport, and team photographer Talah Salah was denied entry to the country.

The Senegal and Uzbekistan squads were also subjected to extensive searches upon arrival in the United States, while uncertainty remains over whether fans and journalists from countries affected by U.S. travel bans will be able to attend the tournament, reports Xinhua.