Iran accuses US of ‘vindictive behaviour’ with visa denials ahead of World Cup
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An Iranian photo showing members of Iran’s national soccer team before their departure for Tijuana, Mexico, on June 6, to take part in the World Cup.
PHOTO: EPA
- Iran Football Federation accuses the US of "vindictive behaviour" for denying visas to 14 officials for World Cup matches.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said visas were denied due to concerns about delegates' ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
- The visa denials impact team preparation for upcoming matches in the US, amid high US-Iran tensions since the February war.
AI generated
TEHRAN - The Iran Football Federation (IFF) is accusing the United States of “vindictive behaviour” regarding the refusal of visas for managerial and administrative members of its World Cup travelling party.
IFF said 14 officials and staffers have been refused visas prior to upcoming matches in Inglewood, California, and Seattle.
The list includes the federation’s vice-president, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, and secretary-general Hedayat Mombeini.
It wasn’t immediately known whether federation president Mehdi Taj was issued a visa.
Tensions have been high between the US and Iran since the war in Iran broke out in February.
The feud led to Iran moving its training camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico. The latter city is just across the US border from San Diego.
According to the IFF, the visa denials have “effectively denied the Iranian national team the opportunity for a level playing field and a competition free from discrimination.”
The Iran squad has been preparing for the World Cup in Antalya, Turkey, and was set to fly to Mexico on June 6.
The team said it has received its visas from the Mexico Embassy in Antalya.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week that the Iranian travelling party would be watched closely for people with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“We have no problem with the athletes, as we stated earlier, or their support staff,” Rubio said. “But what we’re not going to allow is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that nature.
“So, we were going to watch that very closely, and we’ll continue to watch that very closely.”
Iran plays World Cup games against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in Inglewood. The team finishes group play five days later in Seattle.
The United States and Iran could face each other on July 3 in Arlington, Texas, if the two clubs both finish second in their respective groups. FIELD LEVEL MEDIA
