Senegal men's national football team official photographer Sidi Tallah was unable to travel with the squad to Canada for their final Group I match against Iraq on Saturday morning in Toronto. However, he still found a way to continue capturing moments of the team while stuck in his hotel room in the United States.
According to football journalist Romain Molina, the issue stemmed from the denial of a multiple-entry U.S. visa, leaving Tallah effectively “trapped” in the U.S. without the ability to cross into Canada and return to the team’s camp.
Despite the setback, Sidi showed remarkable dedication to his work. Wearing his official FIFA accreditation bib inside his hotel room, he set up his professional camera lens and began “shooting” the match by photographing the live action directly from his television screen.
The incident once again highlights the logistical and visa-related challenges surrounding travel between the World Cup host nations.
Senegal’s match against Iraq ended in a comfortable 5-0 victory for the West Africans, who also set a new all-time African record at the World Cup.