Supporters applying for visas to watch the tournament face having social media activity dating back five years checked to see if it meets presidential approval
England fans could be barred from the World Cup if Donald Trump does not like their tweets.
Supporters applying for travel visas to enter the US to watch the football showpiece face having to submit their social media activity dating back five years. Officials will then study messages and posts to see if they meet the US President’s approval.
Fans whose activity does not will not be allowed to enter the US to watch the tournament. The move has been slammed by fan organisations, human rights groups and politicians who have called on football’s governing body FIFA to put pressure on Trump to reverse the measure.
Ronan Evain, executive director at Football Supporters Europe, said: “Freedom of expression and the right to privacy are universal human rights. No football fan surrenders those rights just because they cross a border.
“This policy introduces a chilling atmosphere of surveillance that directly contradicts the welcoming, open spirit the World Cup is meant to embody, and it must be withdrawn immediately. This is a World Cup without rules – or at least the rules change every day.
“It’s urgent that FIFA clarifies the security doctrine of the tournament so that supporters can make an informed decision whether to travel or stay home.”
Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch called the new entry requirements ‘an outrageous demand that violates fundamental free speech and free expression rights’.
She said: “This policy expressly violates FIFA’s human rights policies and FIFA needs to pressure the Trump administration to reverse it immediately. The World Cup is not an opportunity for the US to exclude and harass fans and journalists whose opinions Trump officials don’t like.”
Irish European Parliament member Barry Andrews said: “President Trump’s plan to screen visitors to the US based on their past five-year social media history is outrageous. Even the worst authoritarian states in the world do not have such an official policy.
“The plans would of course seriously damage the US tourist industry as millions of Europeans would no longer feel safe – including football fans due to attend next year’s World Cup.”
Under Trump’s new rule all US visitors – including those from visa-free countries such as France, Germany and Britain – would have to submit details of their social media activity before being allowed across the border.
Travellers will also have to provide emails, phone numbers and addresses they have used over the past five years. The law would come into effect early next year shortly before hundreds of thousands of football fans are expected to travel to the US to watch the World Cup.
America is co-hosting the tournament – which begins in June – with Mexico and Canada.
Trump’s henchmen have stepped up social media surveillance at the border, vetting profiles and denying tourists entry or revoking visas over political posts.
The President said: “We want safety. We want security. We want to make sure we’re not letting the wrong people come into our country.”
FIFA had not commented.
But a source told the Daily Star the move was introduced on security grounds.
“It is designed to give the US even tighter control of its borders,” they said.
“It is not aimed at excluding people who don’t support the US team or don’t agree with Presidential policy. The aim is to restrict entry by people who may have expressed sympathies for enemies of the US.”
A spokesman for US Customs and Border Protection said: “This is not a final rule. It is simply the first step in starting a discussion to have new policy options to keep the American people safe.”
“The Department is constantly looking at how we vet those coming into the country.”