Rabat – The US has denied a visa for the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Ahmad Ahmad, to attend a FIFA Council meeting in Miami.
The reasons the visa was denied to Ahmad are unknown. International media have been commenting that Malagasy citizens are not routinely prohibited from traveling to the US as citizens of banned countries.
The visa denial seems unusual for a high ranking individual like the CAF president attending an important FIFA meeting.
It is unclear whether Ahmad will successfully appeal the decision in time to attend the meeting or if immigration authorities will reverse the decision.
The FIFA Council meeting will take place Friday, March 15, in Miami, Florida.
FIFA leaders are heading to Miami to discuss a possible expansion of the number of teams participating in the 2022 World Cup, from 32 teams to 48 teams.
Previous World Cups included 32 teams, but the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada will be expanded to 48 teams.
