BAGHDAD: Iraq’s World Cup striker Aymen Hussein was held and interrogated for nearly seven hours at Chicago’s O’Hare airport after arriving with the squad early on Saturday, an Iraqi sports official said.
Hussein was eventually allowed in, but the team’s photographer was not allowed into the United States, said the official who works for the Iraqi Olympic Committee but has close contacts with the team.
There was no immediate comment from the Iraqi Football Association, or from Hussein, a talismanic figure who scored the goal that secured the team’s qualification for the finals.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the reported interrogation, which was also covered by Iraqi media.
Fans came out in the early morning hours to greet the Iraqi team at the airport, holding flags and asking players to pose for photos less than a week before the start of the tournament, a video on social media showed.
Hussein’s phone was inspected after his arrival, the Iraqi official said.
“National team photographer Talal Salah was held for more than 10 hours, underwent similar telephone checks and was ultimately denied entry into the United States,” the official added.
Iraq returns to the World Cup for the first time since its debut forty years ago.
Hussein, 30, leads a powerful frontline that also includes Ipswich Town’s Ali Al-Hamadi and talented youngsters Ali Jassim and Youssef Amyn.
Iraq will face France, Senegal and Norway in Group I.
The tournament, which is co-organized by the US, Canada and Mexico, starts on Thursday.
