The Football Federation of Iran has criticized the failure to issue visas for a number of members of the country’s national football team’s delegation to the FIFA World Cup, accusing the United States government of discriminatory treatment.
In a statement, the federation said that visas had not been granted to several managerial and administrative officials accompanying the national team and announced that it would pursue the matter through the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
According to the statement, the denial of visas to part of the team’s delegation has created unequal conditions for the Iranian side and, in the federation’s view, constitutes an example of political interference in sport.
Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that Ali Khazrian, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, had written to Abbas Araghchi, urging him to raise the issue of the denied visas for 13 members of the national team’s staff at the highest diplomatic levels.
Earlier, the Iranian Embassy in Turkey, referring to remarks made by Tom Barrack, stated that issuing visas solely to players was insufficient, emphasizing that managerial personnel, executive staff, and technical advisers are integral components of any national team.
In response to media inquiries, the U.S. Department of State said that visas had been issued only to the Iranian national team’s players and essential accompanying personnel. The department further stressed that the United States would not permit unauthorized individuals to enter the country through the visa issuance process.
According to Iranian media reports, more than ten members of the national team’s delegation were unable to obtain visas. Those reportedly affected include Mehdi Taj, Mehdi Mohammadnabi, and Hedayat Mombeini.
At the same time, Iran’s national football team departed its training camp in Antalya on Saturday and traveled to Tijuana, the Mexican border city adjacent to San Diego, which will serve as the team’s pre-tournament training base.
Under the tournament schedule, Iran will play its first two matches against New Zealand and Belgium at SoFi Stadium before facing Egypt in Seattle in a subsequent fixture.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
