그라운드에 드리운 정치의 그림자: 2026 월드컵이 마주한 불편한 진실 > 뉴스

The diplomatic conflict between the United States and Iran has emerged as the hottest potato in this World Cup. The Iranian national team had to completely revise its original plan to set up a base camp in the United States and choose the last resort of moving its base to Tijuana, Mexico. The U.S. government granted visas to players, but maintained a hard-line stance by refusing to issue visas to some of the key management and coaching staff or issuing ultra-short-term visas with a validity period of only one day. The Iranian side is strongly opposing this, saying it is intentional discrimination that undermines the players' condition, and criticism is pouring in that the aftermath of the war has invaded the ground. In the end, Iranian players found themselves in the unprecedented situation of having to compete in the so-called 'commuting World Cup', crossing the border from Mexico to the United States for each game.

Visa issues are not only a concern for Iran. According to recent U.S. State Department data, many of the World Cup finalist countries are experiencing high rejection rates during the visa issuance process, hindering preparations for the tournament. Eleven countries, including Haiti, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire, have visa rejection rates above 40%, which is much higher than the typical business or tourist visa rejection rates. This is a phenomenon that occurred as the United States significantly strengthened its entry screening for security reasons, suggesting that its own immigration control policy is being prioritized over the cause of sports diplomacy. As FIFA's 'quality first' and inclusive tournament management principles clash with each country's strict visa policy, administrative barriers rather than soccer skills are acting as variables that determine the success or failure of the tournament.

Looking inside the stadium, the referee assignment that the participating countries, including the Korean national team, will face is another point to watch for this tournament. Referee Amin Mohamed Omar from Egypt was chosen to referee the match against the Czech Republic, the first opponent of the Korean national team led by coach Hong Myung-bo. Referee Omar, who used to be a lawyer, is well-known for his flexible management and accurate positioning that does not interrupt the flow of the game, but is also well-known for his style of control by drawing strict cards in every important game. This assignment, where all assistant referees and VAR referees are of Egyptian nationality, requires strategic flexibility from the national team, which must quickly understand the referees' tendencies and decision standards for each game.

The tournament organizing committee claims that it has formed the most comprehensive refereeing team ever to improve the technical perfection of soccer, but this is also intertwined with the complex interests of the soccer world. As the number of participating countries expanded to 48 and the number of games increased, quantitative expansion of the referees was inevitable, but maintaining consistency in decisions became an even more difficult task. Especially in a situation where the warning accumulation rule is strictly enforced starting from the group stage, the presence of a referee with strong control like referee Omar puts pressure on the players to require unnecessary card management. Players are now in a situation where they must engage in a fierce battle not only with the opposing team, but also with another invisible opponent: the referee's tendencies.