Kicking off this Thursday, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has faced its share of criticism before it has even begun. A viral video has sparked fresh backlash, appearing to show members of Senegal's national team being searched with metal detectors on the tarmac of a US airport. Online, some users have claimed the players were being "treated like criminals" and pointed to the footage as evidence of "unapologetic racism". A widely shared photo also appears to show the team's coach undergoing the same screening. But what do these images actually show?
Internet users have shared a viral video appearing to show the Senegalese national football team at a US airport being searched and scanned with metal detectors on the tarmac, with players asked to remove their shoes and have their bags inspected. Some users described the treatment as excessive for a national team preparing to take part in what is widely considered the world’s biggest sporting event.
Football fans claimed the footage was taken on arrival at San Antonio airport, calling it "public degradation on the tarmac" and accusing authorities of treating "top African football giants like suspects." Others described it as "brazen and unapologetic racism", arguing that white players "would not have been treated the same." A separate widely shared image appeared to show the team’s coach, Pape Thiaw, being frisked on the tarmac, which users also called "shameful."
In reality, the video is authentic, but it was not filmed in San Antonio. It was recorded in Raleigh, North Carolina, as the team boarded a flight to San Antonio, where they played a warm-up friendly against Saudi Arabia. The Senegalese Football Federation clarified in a statement that the tarmac procedures were "primarily intended to optimise the delegation's travel time and facilitate boarding of the private flight to San Antonio."
However, the image of coach Pape Thiaw appears to be AI-generated, with a Google SynthID digital watermark indicating it was fully or partly created using Google AI tools. The Senegalese Football Federation’s official Instagram account also shows him departing for San Antonio in a different outfit, wearing a black shirt rather than the blue top seen in the viral image. It is likely the fake image was created using the real footage as reference.
The episode comes amid broader controversy around this World Cup, including criticism over high ticket prices, questions over political neutrality, and US entry restrictions that have left some supporters of teams such as Senegal and Ivory Coast unable to travel to attend matches.
More recently, scrutiny has also intensified following the case of Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who despite holding a diplomatic passport and visa was reportedly denied entry to the United States and sent home, further fuelling online debate around the treatment of African football figures in the tournament’s build-up.
