MATHATHA TSEDU | World Cup, borders and broken principles

There was a time when South Africa could be relied on to stand on the side of justice and fairness for all, and it did not have to be something that benefited us as a people or a country directly; it was just principle.

When, for example, through the initiative and leadership of then international relations minister Naledi Pandor, we took the Zionist regime in Jerusalem to the International Court of Justice over genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, we were standing on the principle of abhorrence of murderous discrimination.

It did not matter that Arab states closer to Gaza neither lifted a finger in support nor offered any expression of solidarity. We stood alone against the might of the Zionist lobby and suffered the consequences of becoming the US’s most hated state outside Iran.

When, for example, on November 10 1995, the Nigerian military junta under Gen Sani Abacha hanged author and environmental campaigner Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, President Nelson Mandela recalled our ambassador, the late George Nene, from Abuja.

We stood alone among African states in doing that. But as Mandela said then: “What we are now proposing are short and sharp measures which will produce the results Nigerians and the world desire. We are dealing with an illegitimate, barbaric, arrogant, military dictatorship which has murdered activists, using a kangaroo court, and false evidence.”

The Africa Cup of Nations champions, Senegal, were subjected to deep searches on the tarmac of the airport, with bags emptied and shoes removed in public, before being allowed in.

Today Africa faces a moment of truth with the Fifa World Cup being hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. African players, administrators and fans are being humiliated and barred from entering the US in a way that smacks of racism.

Top Somali referee Omar Artan was detained for 11 hours and interrogated before being refused entry. The regime of madman Donald Trump sees no reason to explain its actions.

The Africa Cup of Nations champions, Senegal, were subjected to deep searches on the tarmac of the airport, with bags emptied and shoes removed in public, before being allowed in.

Fans from Senegal, Morocco, Ivory Coast and Iran, among others, were barred despite holding match tickets. Woodensky Pierre, the only member of the Haitian team based at home, was only given a visa so late that he missed the final preparatory friendly game.

The Iranian team, which unlike Bafana Bafana has its three first-round games in the US, is housed in Mexico and only allowed to enter the US a day before its matches and then leave again. The impact of such travel on match fitness is of no concern to the crazies in Washington.

Iraq’s striker Aymen Hussein was detained for several hours and interrogated before being allowed entry. His colleague, team photographer Talah Salah, was not so fortunate and was turned back with no explanation. There have been no such incidents in Canada and Mexico.

The Fifa bidding rules of 2017, when the US was granted the right to co-host the World Cup, state that “visa processing must be applied in a non-discriminatory manner”.

By participating in the games, even if for now Bafana are in Mexico, we are countenancing the mistreatment of other human beings

However, despite these numerous instances of excessive, discriminatory and humiliating treatment of players and officials from the Global South by the US, Fifa president Gianni Infantino refused to condemn the actions, saying the organisation cannot be “kings of the world” and cannot tell countries how to administer their immigration laws.

This is not surprising, as Infantino has already created a special award whose first recipient was Trump. There is no way he is going to criticise the US, even if his own players and officials are being maltreated and his showpiece is threatened.

But that is Infantino. He is not us. We stand for principles of fair treatment and fair play. What is being done is wrong, and we should not be party to it without voicing our opposition and leaving.

Fasika Alem, programme director for immigration lobby group United African Organisation, said in response to the incidents: “The World Cup should be a moment that brings people together across borders, cultures and continents. It should not be used to reinforce exclusion. If the United States is going to host the world, it must welcome the world.”

By participating in the games, even if for now Bafana are in Mexico, we are countenancing the mistreatment of other human beings. What will happen if the improbable occurs and Bafana progress to the next round and must move to the US?

Are we going to stand for them being strip-searched on the tarmac? Shall we only then take a stand? It doesn’t matter that were we to stand up we might be alone. Just as Mandela did then and was accused of not understanding African diplomacy, the situation demands that we do what is right, now.

• Tsedu was an editor of the Sunday Times