00:01Now, it's already been a memorable and record-setting World Cup, but apart from the action, more serious issues are
00:08dominating.
00:09Our correspondent Siobhan McCall has the details. Siobhan.
00:12Thanks, Geoff. Yes, while it's been a thrilling start to the World Cup on the pitch, political issues and problems
00:18around visas continue to affect the tournament.
00:22Several teams and many fans have been hit by visa restrictions, including the most high-profile country affected, Iran.
00:30The United States confirmed that the team will have to leave the country hours after each match that they play
00:37in the U.S. to head back to their training camp in Mexico.
00:41And the team raised concerns about this after their draw with New Zealand, saying it's having an impact on their
00:47preparations.
00:48And here's some of the Iran delegation watching their opening match, that game against New Zealand, from Mexico after they
00:55were denied entry to the U.S.
00:58Now, some people say this year's tournament has more of a domestic feel after many international fans were not able
01:04to travel due to those visa restrictions and also the cost of visa bonds.
01:10Iraq are at their first World Cup since 1986.
01:14Well, this fan says there's nothing like being at the tournament and he had bought tickets for some of the
01:19matches, but he had to give them up after getting a visa became too difficult.
01:26Senegal's captain, meanwhile, has questioned why his team should be without their fans after many were unable to make the
01:33trip to the U.S. due to a travel ban.
01:36And the team's manager has called on the local Senegalese community in New York to try and lift the players
01:42because they're used to a big backing at major tournaments.
01:46And the mother of Cape Verde's hero goalkeeper wasn't at their historic draw with Spain.
01:52Again, this was due to visa issues.
01:54But the story has now got lots of attention in the U.S., with Secretary of State Marco Rubio being
01:59urged to make sure that she's able to be there for their second match.
02:04Somalian referee Omar Atten was refused entry to the U.S., dashing his hopes of overseeing a match at the
02:11world's biggest sports tournament.
02:13FIFA have confirmed he will get full pay, but he says he remains unaware of why his entry was blocked.
02:20U.S. Border Protection say it was because of vetting concerns.
02:23And there's also concern about some foreign journalists not being able to report from the tournament or given only single
02:31entry visas, which means they can't follow their teams across the three host countries.
02:36The International Sports Press Association is warning that this undermines the rights to information and curtails independent coverage.
02:44And separately, there's also been a backlash against the hydration breaks, which are used in each half at the games.
02:52Now, they're officially used to protect players from heat stress.
02:56But some people think they have a commercial motivation, giving an opportunity for television advert breaks during games.
03:03And the Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk has also hit out on them, saying they disrupt the natural flow of
03:09the game.
03:10FIFA describes itself as a non-political organisation, but a FIFA protocol looks set to be broken at the final
03:18on July 19th.
03:19The world governing body reportedly has no objection to President Trump handing the trophy to the winners.
03:26The trophy is usually on a plinth and it's collected by the captain of the champions.
03:31Trump's involvement in the Club World Cup trophy celebrations last year, here he is with the winners.
03:36Chelsea was criticised by football fans who felt it crossed a line between sport and politics.
03:43Well, Simon Chadwick is a professor of Afro-Uasian sport at the Emelium Business School in Shanghai.
03:50Simon, welcome to the programme.
03:52How much of an impact are these visa restrictions having on fans and also tournament operations?
04:01I think overall the stadiums seem to be full.
04:06And so there aren't these large swathes of unfilled seats that many people were expecting.
04:13But I think what is happening is seats are being filled by domestic audiences in the United States.
04:18And so rather than getting large numbers of people from overseas travelling to the US, what you're actually getting, as
04:24you've already alluded to in your package,
04:26is a much more domestic type tournament that is very heavily reliant on diaspora communities.
04:33And that's one of the features that really people have not talked about so much is for games involving, for
04:38example, Iran and Senegal and many other countries.
04:41It's diasporas that are creating the atmosphere rather than those that have travelled.
04:46Yeah, we heard from the Senegal captain about the impact of not having fans there.
04:51Can you tell me just exactly how this impacts players?
04:55You've got to keep in mind that essentially the sport product, if we can put it that way, is co
05:02-created by the players, by officials and by the fans themselves.
05:07After all, nobody wants to go to a stadium where there are empty seats and nobody's shouting and cheering.
05:14And so it's fundamental, it's part of the core product in football that we do have fans there.
05:20Now, of course, this has a psychological and a behavioural effect on players.
05:25I'm sure players themselves would say they're professional and they're going to perform.
05:29But ultimately, if you have your home fans there, your nation's fans there, in terms of motivation, in terms of
05:35how you approach the game, how you perform, the commitment that you show and so forth, it's really important.
05:41Simon Chadwick, thank you.
05:43Simon Chadwick, Professor of Afro-Eurasian Sport at Emlyon Business School in Shanghai.
05:48Plenty of exciting World Cup games coming up tonight, Jeff.
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