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Fans of African football giants Senegal and the Ivory Coast have been left in limbo because of the U.S. travel ban imposed by the Trump administration ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
In December, Senegal and the Ivory Coast became the latest nations to be added to the list of countries with partial restrictions on entry to the United States, which is co-hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico, scheduled to be held from June 11 to July 19
Supporters of the West African teams at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco were left distraught by the restrictions, which bar travelling for those who don't already have visas to fly to the U.S. to watch the World Cup.
According to President Donald Trump, the main reason for the suspensions is " screening and vetting deficiencies ".
Fans from Iran and Haiti will also face the same problems, as the two countries were included in the first iteration of the travel ban announced by the Trump administration.
The restrictions don't apply to players, team officials and immediate relatives travelling to the World Cup, but no exception has been made for supporters.
Senegal, who have qualified for the Africa Cup semifinals, open their World Cup campaign at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 16 against France. Four days later, the African side face Norway in the same stadium. Their final group stage match is in Toronto on June 26 against a playoff winner between Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq.
Ivory Coast will also play two games in the U.S. - against Ecuador in Philadelphia on June 14 and against Curacao on June 25. They will also fly to Toronto for their final group game, against Germany.
With the majority of the supporters unable to fly to the U.S., Senegal and the Ivory Coast, in all probability, will play with only limited support from fans, with only legal U.S. residents, visa holders or dual nationals exempted from the travel ban.
