2026 World Cup: Former FIFA President Blatter Sends Message to US Govt and Gianni Infantino

• Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has sent an important message to co-hosts the United States of America, Canada and Gianni Infantino
• CAF Referee of the Year Omar Abdulkadir Artan will miss the Mundial after being denied entry into the United States
• Thomas Partey will miss Ghana's match against Panama on Thursday, June 18, after the Canadian government also denied his visa application

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Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has sent a strong message to the governments of the United States and Canada amid controversies at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 23rd edition of the tournament is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

The competition has been overshadowed by a series of controversies, including the denial of entry to two individuals linked to the tournament.

Somalian referee Omar Artan was among the 52 match officials selected by FIFA for the World Cup. However, his dream of officiating at the tournament came to an abrupt end after he was denied entry into the United States.

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Artan travelled on a diplomatic passport arranged through the Somali Embassy in Nairobi in an attempt to overcome potential visa challenges.

The United States authorities reportedly flagged the referee because of concerns linked to Somalia's designation in certain security screening procedures.

Meanwhile, Canadian authorities denied a visa application submitted by Thomas Partey, preventing the former Arsenal midfielder from travelling from Ghana's team base in the United States to Canada, per BBC.

Partey had been named in Ghana's World Cup squad and joined his teammates after arriving in Washington, D.C., on June 4 before the team moved to its training base in Rhode Island.

Blatter criticises FIFA and host nations

Swiss football administrator, Sepp Blatter, has criticised FIFA for its handling of Omar Artan's situation.

In a post on X, the 90-year-old argued that one of FIFA's responsibilities is to ensure the smooth entry of players, officials and delegates into host countries during its competitions.

The prominent football administrator added that the governing body had failed to adequately protect Artan's opportunity to participate in the tournament, effectively ending the referee's World Cup dream.

"A FIFA World Cup host country must guarantee two fundamental principles: the safety of the country, and the unrestricted entry of all qualified teams, officials and referees.

"The case of referee Omar Artan from Somalia is against one of these obligations. FIFA must never compromise the universality of football," per Sportstar.

Meanwhile, football fans have reacted to the comments made by former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter. Read them below:

@tobaatol said:

"Thank you for speaking out for those deprived. Thomas Partey is also denied a Canadian visa."

@Tosquo added:

"Spot on, Mr. Blatter. If a host country cannot guarantee entry to the tournament's own match officials, they shouldn't host the World Cup. FIFA has completely compromised its core principles here. Disgraceful. 💯⚽️."

Adams blames FIFA

Legit.ng earlier reported that Ghana Minister for Sports and Recreation, Kofi Adams, has berated the world football governing body for their poor handling of Thomas Partey's case.

Adams stated that the world football governing body has set a bad precedent for future hosts of the tournament.