Four members of Iran’s World Cup delegation have won appeals against having their visa applications rejected for entry to the United States – but 11 others, including the country’s football federation president, remain barred from the tournament.
Iran last week accused the US of denying visas to “integral” members of its national team’s backroom staff, after Washington officials said players had been given permission to travel. The dispute has played out against a backdrop of heightened tensions between the two countries, with Iran already moving its World Cup base to Mexico over concerns stemming from the ongoing conflict with the United States.
“Four Iran World Cup staff win US visa appeals but 11, including federation president, remain banned.”
Of the 15 delegation members initially denied entry, 10 submitted fresh visa applications after arriving in Mexico. Only four were successful: a technical staff analyst and two officials from the federation’s international department were granted permission to enter the US. The remaining six applicants were rejected again, including Iran Football Federation (FFIRI) president Mehdi Taj, one of the federation’s vice-presidents, two team administrators responsible for day-to-day operations, a media officer and a security officer. A second media officer chose not to reapply after the initial rejection.
The ruling means Taj and the other key staff will be absent when Iran play their first World Cup match against New Zealand on 15 June in Los Angeles. They return to the city to face Belgium on 21 June, before meeting Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said he had personally intervened to ensure Iran’s participation. “I’m very happy because I went to see myself the Iranian team in Turkey in March and people were saying it would be impossible for Iran to come to the World Cup – I promised them that they would come and if I had to go with a bus to Tehran and drive them I would do that,” he said.
But US secretary of state Marco Rubio had previously warned that while Iran’s players would be welcome, individuals with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could face entry restrictions. The FFIRI had earlier presented Fifa with a list of 10 conditions for participation, including allowing players, coaches and officials who have completed military service with the IRGC.
The visa dispute is not the only obstacle facing Iranian supporters. The country’s World Cup group-stage ticket allocation was revoked by US officials earlier this week, though Fifa has insisted it is working to “maximise opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches”. Iran was also not represented at a meeting of Fifa’s annual congress in Vancouver in April after officials were turned away at the Canadian border, with Canadian officials citing the IRGC links of delegation members.