The Ivory Coast national team faces the challenge of playing its World Cup matches without the support of its fans, after many of them failed to obtain US visas.
This was told to AFP by the chairman of the national supporters' committee, Julien Kouadiou Adonis.
According to him, hundreds of fans have canceled their trip to the United States due to visa restrictions. He accused the US authorities of practically not allowing fans from some countries, including Ivory Coast.
"The fans canceled their trip because the US government does not want to see fans from certain countries on its territory. "This hurts us because we are deprived of the opportunity to support our national team," Adonis said.
According to him, the absence of fans will also deprive the tournament of the opportunity for Ivorians to present their culture and atmosphere in the stands. Initial expectations were that at least 500 supporters would travel to the team's matches.
In the end, only a limited number of official representatives of the country will attend the Ivory Coast matches.
The African team will play two of its three group stage matches at the World Cup in the United States - against Ecuador on June 15 and against Curacao on June 25, both matches in Philadelphia. On June 20, Ivory Coast will face Germany in Toronto, Canada.
Source: www.focus-news.net