He was denied a visa for the World Cup, and Senegal’s official photographer covered the 5-0 win over Iraq by photographing a television screen 📸🌍

He was denied a multiple-entry visa to the U.S., which prevented him from crossing the border into Canada, where Senegal was playing in the 2026 World Cup. Anyone else would have given up. Sidi Tallah, the official photographer of the Senegal national team, picked up his camera, sat down in front of his hotel television, and photographed the match directly from the screen. 📺📸

That’s how he covered Senegal’s historic 5-0 win over Iraq — a rout that qualified the team for the round of 32 — with the same framing, angles, and professionalism as always, but capturing pixels from a TV instead of the live action. The video of him working under those conditions went viral within minutes and spread faster than any photo from the match itself. 🔥

The case sparked a global debate about the immigration obstacles faced by accredited professionals at the most-watched event on the planet. While the world debated visas and bureaucracy, Sidi Tallah had already delivered his work. 💪🦁

The official photographer of the Senegal national team🇸🇳 takes photos of the match from his hotel💔
As a reminder, he can’t enter Canada (visa denied) pic.twitter.com/LoLe7s7cFm

— Thier Dinho🇧🇷🇸🇳 (@Thierdinhoo) June 26, 2026