WANA (Jun 09) – The New York leadership has sharply criticized the Trump administration’s handling of international teams arriving for the World Cup, calling out discriminatory visa policies and hostile treatment by border officials.

 

Zohran Mamdani, a prominent Muslim lawmaker from New York, publicly condemned the administration’s actions on Tuesday, specifically defending the Iranian national team amid mounting bureaucratic hurdles.

 

“Issuing one-day visas for a national team [Iran] to compete in the World Cup is in direct conflict with the spirit of the tournament,” Mamdani stated.

 

Even before the opening whistle, the United States’ role as a host country is facing severe global backlash, with critics pointing to a pattern of targeted disruptions and demeaning treatment of foreign delegations.

 

A Pattern of Disruptions

The outcry follows a series of controversial actions by U.S. authorities, including the denial of visas for 15 members of the Iranian delegation, the forced cancellation of their training camp, and the imposition of restrictive, single-day visas for players.

 

The restrictions have not been limited to Iran. Several other nations have reported aggressive behavior and administrative roadblocks upon arrival:

 

Iraq: National team star Aymen Hussein was detained for seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, while the team’s official photographer was deported after being held for 12 hours.

 

Somalia: A top-tier Somali referee, widely regarded as one of Africa’s best, was officially deported.

 

Senegal & Uzbekistan: Both national delegations reported degrading treatment by U.S. law enforcement during their entry processing.

 

“Undermining the Spirit of the Games”

Mamdani emphasized that withholding visas from journalists, denying entry to coaching staff, and putting day-to-day expirations on athlete visas undermines the core principles of international sports.

 

The New York leader warned that the administration’s discriminatory measures threaten to compromise the entire tournament, which is fundamentally built on the premise of equal opportunity and fair play for all competing nations.