ElleBellaP

Energetic to the point of being exhausting, Brave,fearless WonderWoman, who also loves baking cookies&stuff. Wonderfully engaging...

[Jamie Bonkiewicz @JamieBonkiewicz]

Referee denied entry.

Officials denied entry.

Players denied entry.

Fans denied entry.

The U.S. is proving exactly why it never should’ve been chosen to host the World Cup.

[New Direction AFRICA @Its_ereko]

🚨 WORST @FIFAcom PRESIDENT OF ALL TIME: INFANTINO SILENT AS US HUMILIATES AFRICA

Gianni Infantino selected Omar Abdulkadir Artan — Africa's top referee and first Somali at a World Cup — then watched US authorities deny him entry at the border despite diplomatic passport and approved visa. Turned back like trash. No reason. No fight.

Where is your voice, Infantino?

You preach "global football" and "unity" while selling out African officials to US border politics. This isn't leadership — it's cowardice and betrayal of the game.

You are proving every day why you are the worst FIFA president in history. Africa will not forget this disgrace.

Stand up or step down.

[Palestine Daily News✌️🇵🇸✌️ @Palestinedaily1]

This is Israel, world

Two children—aged 4 and 5—abducted by Israeli soldiers.

Repost this. Please I beg you

[Ethan Levins 🇺🇸 @EthanLevins2]

The OLDEST CHRISTIAN village in the world is burning.

Taybeh, Palestine.

The last 100% Christian Palestinian village, where Christ resurrected Lazarus, build the Church of St. Michael.

[Tamer Nahed @Tamer_Alnoaizy]

One of the most horrifying scenes in human history has been revealed.

When Israel forced thousands in Gaza to collect flour mixed with sand due to severe famine.

A moment the world must never forget.

[sarah @sahouraxo]

BREAKING:

Israeli settlers are burning Taybeh in occupied Palestine.

A village that has stood for thousands of years.

A place where Jesus once walked.

Home to the oldest living Christian community in the world.

And not a peep from Western mainstream media.

[New Direction AFRICA @Its_ereko]

🚨 Reports say FIFA is fuming with UEFA.

After the US humiliated top African referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan — CAF Referee of the Year — denying him entry despite a valid visa and blocking him from the 2026 World Cup...

UEFA just handed him the biggest stage: officiating the 2026 UEFA Super Cup final.

FIFA talks big about "inclusivity" and "global football," but stays silent when the host nation disrespects African officials.

Meanwhile, Europe steps up.

This exposes everything.
The World Cup in America is showing its true colors: selective borders for Africans while they welcome whoever fits their interests.

Africa is not begging for scraps.
Our talent will shine — with or without their permission.

[Dr. Allison Wiltz @queenie4rmnola]

“I feel that if we don't take seriously the ways in which racism is embedded in structures of institutions, if we assume that there must be an identifiable racist who is the perpetrator, then we won't ever succeed in eradicating racism.”

— Angela Davis

[Jvnior @Jvnior]

🚨BREAKING: He shares details of his Christian grandmother killed by Israeli forces.

“The Israeli army decided to run my 84 year old Christian grandmother with a tank and just finish her off. She was still alive, from what I know.”

Oh my God. What the f*ck. Repost this.

[Mike the Warthog @thyphoidjack]

Winnie Mandela
At her father's advice, Winnie left the Transkei for Johannesburg in 1953 to pursue a career in social work. Here, she attended the Jan Hofmeyr School of Social Work.

In 1955 she graduated at the top of her class and was offered a scholarship to study further in the USA. She declined, choosing instead to do social work in her home country.

Winnie took up a medical social work post in Johannesburg's Baragwanath Hospital, becoming the first qualified black person to fill the post. She went on to make a name for herself at the hospital, appearing in newspapers that told the story of her humble beginnings and her successful career.

[Sheila of the Most High @sheilatebra]

Anonymous

My son is autistic. Nonverbal. He’s eight. We went to a restaurant. Family place. He got overwhelmed. Started stimming. Rocking. Making sounds. People stared. A woman at the next table said loudly “Can’t you control your child? This is ridiculous.” I was gathering our things to leave. We always leave. Then our waiter came over. Young guy. Maybe twenty. He knelt down next to my son. Started rocking with him. Gently. Matching his rhythm. My son stopped. Looked at him...
The waiter smiled and said “I got you, buddy. You’re okay.” Stayed there for five minutes. Just rocking. Being present. My son calmed completely. The waiter stood up and said “My brother’s autistic. I know the rocking helps.” Brought my son french fries. On the house. Sat with us while we ate. That woman who complained got up and left. The waiter said “Good riddance.” My son smiled. He never smiles at strangers. We finished our meal. Peacefully. I tried to tip extra. The waiter refused.
Said “Your son deserves to eat out like everyone else.” We’ve been back six times. Same waiter. Same kindness. My son looks for him now. Gets excited. Because someone saw him. Not his autism. Him.

[The Husky @Mr_Husky1]

A 24-year-old Polish tennis player arrived in Paris last week ranked 114th in the world, with no sponsors, no guaranteed income, and no certainty she could even pay for her hotel room.

She had to win three qualifying matches just to enter the French Open main draw. Prize money is only paid at the end of the tournament, so a Polish sports drink brand quietly stepped in and covered her hotel bill.

Her name is Maja Chwalinska. And today, she plays in the French Open final.

Before this tournament, she had won exactly one Grand Slam main draw match in her entire career. She had battled depression so severe that in 2021 she couldn't get out of bed. She underwent knee surgery in 2022. She spent years grinding through small tournaments across Europe just to stay afloat.

Then she arrived in Paris, won three qualifiers, and kept winning. Zheng Qinwen. Elise Mertens. Maria Sakkari. Diana Shnaider. Nine straight matches. One set dropped.

She is now the first qualifier in French Open history to reach the final. The last time a qualifier reached a Grand Slam final, it was Emma Raducanu at the 2021 US Open. Raducanu won.

By simply making the final, Chwalinska has earned more prize money than her entire career combined. The runner-up cheque alone is $1.6 million. If she wins today, she takes home $3.25 million.
One week ago she couldn't pay for her hotel room.

[Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton]

As a World Cup host, the U.S. shouldn't be flippantly barring officials from entering the country to do their jobs.

It's terribly backward.

It's also counterproductive.

Global sports competitions should improve international exchange and relations, not the reverse.

[Troll Football @TrollFootball]

*Russia banned from football for attacking Ukraine*

*USA, host of the World Cup, bombs Iran for over a month, kills its Supreme Leader and refuses to let the Iranian team stay even one night in the country*

FIFA President:

[Stunner @invertCucurella]

🚨🗣Steven Gerrard: "this fifa world cup in USA is becoming the worst tournament even before it get started! This is not how it is supposed to be, the weather in the US is terrible for players to play in, and we have news of the Somali referee Omar Artan who was appointed by FIFA denied entry, Iran saying FIFA has withdrawn fans World Cup ticket allocation, couple with funny security checks [Kevin Debruyne Belgium and Senegal players]

"I have to say it again this World Cup is starting to look like a mess, and the tournament hasn't even properly begun yet."

"Usually, before a World Cup, we're talking about the favourites, the star players, and the football. Instead, we're talking about travel problems, ticket controversies, and immigration issues."

"The Omar Artan situation is one of the most disappointing stories I've seen. FIFA selected him because they believed he was good enough to officiate at the World Cup, yet he was denied entry into the United States and will miss the tournament."

"Imagine working your whole life to become the first Somali referee at a World Cup and then being prevented from taking part for reasons completely unrelated to football."

"Then you have Iran's federation saying their allocation of World Cup tickets for supporters was withdrawn just days before the competition. Whether you agree with a government or not, supporters should not be the ones paying the price."

"I've also seen players and delegations complaining about the level of security checks and the delays involved. At some point, people stop feeling welcomed and start feeling like they're being treated as suspects."

"The weather is another concern. We're talking about matches being played in extreme summer conditions. The players are expected to perform at the highest level while dealing with heat that can completely change the rhythm of a game."

"A World Cup should be about bringing the world together. Instead, every day seems to bring another story that has nothing to do with football."

"The worrying thing is that these aren't isolated incidents anymore. When ticket disputes, entry restrictions, and organisational concerns keep appearing, people naturally begin questioning the tournament itself."

"I still hope the football saves the competition because the World Cup is bigger than any host nation. But right now, the headlines aren't making FIFA look good, and they certainly aren't making this look like the celebration of football it was supposed to be."

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

Nearly 100 fans from Morocco applied to go the USA.

The US blocked nearly 90% of their applications.

This is the most racist World Cup ever and it should be boycotted by everyone, the USA is refusing to let non-white people come.

[Alex Shams @alexshams_]

The US has refused to host Iran's national team for the World Cup even though they have to play all their games there

Which means they're based in Tijuana and will have to fly on the day of their games

I've never heard of this kind of discrimination in World Cup history

[Larry Madowo @LarryMadowo]

If Africa's top referee is inadmissible in America, who qualifies? Many are calling it racism.

Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan was denied entry into the US "due to vetting concerns" even though he had a 3-month multiple entry visa and was traveling on a diplomatic passport

[Jeremy Corbyn @jeremycorbyn]

What an absolute disgrace. A FIFA-certified referee being denied entry to the United States purely because he is Somali.

The World Cup is meant to bring people together. This is racism, plain and simple. Shameful.

https://t.co/rpSgTmmPU4

[Crazy Vibes @CrazyVibes_1]

When the President of France visited the United States in April 1960, he asked the FBI to help him find a man.
The man he was looking for was an American citizen. He was sixty-four years old. He had been awarded fifteen French military decorations and — six months earlier, in a ceremony in Paris — had been made a Knight of the Légion d'honneur, the highest civilian honor France can give. The medal had been pinned to his chest by the President himself, who had publicly called him un véritable héros français. A true French hero.
The FBI located the man within a few days.
He was operating an elevator at Rockefeller Center in New York City.
The elevator operator's name was Eugene Bullard. He had been born in Columbus, Georgia, in 1895, the son of a man whose own father had been a slave.

He had run away from Columbus at the age of eleven, after watching a white mob nearly lynch his father.
He spent the next several years drifting through the American South. At sixteen, he stowed away on a German freighter at Norfolk, Virginia. He landed in Aberdeen, Scotland. From there he made his way to London, where he learned to box. By 1913, at eighteen, he was prizefighting in Paris.
When Germany invaded France in August 1914, Bullard was nineteen years old. He had no legal obligation to fight. He had no French citizenship.
He went to the recruiting office on October 19, 1914, and signed up for the French Foreign Legion.
He spent the next eighteen months as an infantryman in some of the worst fighting of the war — at the Somme, at Champagne, at Verdun. He was wounded three times. The third wound, on March 5, 1916, tore open his thigh and left him with permanent damage to his leg.
He was twenty years old. The doctors told him he would not return to the infantry.
He decided he wanted to fly.

In a Paris café in the spring of 1916, while he was recovering, Bullard mentioned to three white American friends that he was thinking of joining the French air service. A Mississippian named Jeff Dickson laughed.
Gene, Dickson said, you know damn well there aren't any Negroes in aviation.
Bullard answered: Sure do. That's why I want to get into it. There has to be a first to everything, and I'm going to be the first.
Dickson bet him two thousand dollars he would not make it.
Bullard took the bet. He earned his pilot's license on May 5, 1917. He won the bet.
He reported to the front in August 1917 and flew approximately twenty combat missions over the next three months in a SPAD VII. The fuselage was painted with a bleeding heart pierced by a knife and the French phrase Tout le Sang qui Coule est Rouge — All Blood that Flows is Red.
He carried, on every combat flight, a small capuchin monkey named Jimmy in the front of his flight jacket.
The French press began calling him L'Hirondelle Noire — the Black Swallow.

When the United States entered the war in 1917, Bullard immediately applied to transfer to the U.S. Army Air Service.
His application was rejected.
The U.S. Army Air Service had a policy, in 1917, of not accepting Black pilots. The other American pilots flying for France in his unit, all of them white, were transferred to the U.S. Air Service.
He was the only one who was not.

For the next twenty years, he was one of the most familiar faces in the Montmartre nightlife of Paris between the wars. He owned a nightclub called L'Escadrille. He spoke fluent French, English, and German. Hemingway drank there. Fitzgerald drank there. Langston Hughes drank there. Josephine Baker performed there. Louis Armstrong was a personal friend.
When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Bullard was forty-four. His fluent German and his ownership of a nightclub frequented by German officers made him useful to the French Resistance. He became an intelligence agent — eavesdropping in his own bar on conversations between German officers who did not know he understood every word.
When France fell in June 1940, friends in the Resistance smuggled him across the Spanish border before the Gestapo could arrest him.
He came back to the United States for the first time in twenty-eight years.
He arrived in New York with thirty dollars in his pocket and a permanent limp.

He did not return to a hero's welcome. He returned to a country that had no idea who he was.
He worked at a perfume counter. He worked as a security guard. He worked at the Staten Island shipyards. By the late 1940s, he had taken the job that he would hold for most of the rest of his life.
He operated the elevator at Rockefeller Center.
He was wearing the elevator uniform on the day a producer from NBC came down from the studios upstairs to ask if he was the man Charles de Gaulle had been looking for.
A few weeks later, NBC sent a film crew to interview him in the lobby. The studios where NBC produced The Today Show were on the floors above. He had operated the elevator that took the network executives up to those studios every morning for nearly ten years. He had not been recognized as he did it.
He went back to operating the elevator the following Monday.

He died of stomach cancer on October 12, 1961, three days after his sixty-sixth birthday.
He was buried in the French War Veterans' section of Flushing Cemetery, in Queens, in the uniform of the French Foreign Legion. The casket was draped with the French flag.
In 1994 — thirty-three years after his death — the United States Air Force formally commissioned Eugene Jacques Bullard as a Second Lieutenant, posthumously.
It was the first commission the U.S. military had ever offered him.
He had been the first Black combat pilot in American history.
The French had been calling him a hero since 1917.
The Americans got around to it in 1994.