The Iranian government has expressed strong discontent towards the United States, labeling the refusal of visas for several members of its national football team’s delegation as “discriminatory treatment”. This action has sparked significant backlash in the lead-up to the World Cup.
The Iranian embassy in Turkey highlighted the issue in a post on X, questioning, “Why are you not acknowledging that a substantial number of our managerial, executive staff, technical advisors, and essential personnel have had their visa applications rejected?” This statement followed a previous claim by US envoy Tom Barrack that visas had been granted to the players.
The embassy further remarked, “This escalation of deliberate discrimination against our national team is unprecedented.” Iranian media outlet Tasnim reported that high-ranking officials, including executive director Mehdi Kharati and football federation secretary general Hedayat Mombini, are among those lacking visas. While some staff members plan to travel with the team to Mexico, efforts are ongoing to secure their US visas.
This situation arose shortly after a White House representative announced that visas for the Iranian players had been issued, just ten days before their initial match in Los Angeles, amidst ongoing tensions between the two nations.
Abolfazl Pasandideh, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, mentioned late Thursday that while the team had not received their US visas initially, the White House later confirmed they had been granted.
Attempts to reach a spokesperson for the Iranian football federation for further comments were unsuccessful.
Due to the visa complications and a growing sentiment in Iran regarding minimizing the team’s presence in the US, Iran has arranged for its base to be relocated from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. The team is expected to arrive in Tijuana early Sunday morning.
Iran is set to kick off their Group G campaign on June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles, followed by matches against Belgium on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Despite the ongoing issues, Ambassador Pasandideh stated that the US has not officially expressed a desire to prevent the Iranian team from residing in its territory.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated in a statement to lawmakers that individuals associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a significant faction of Iran’s military, would not be permitted in the World Cup delegation. Many players in the Iranian squad have completed compulsory military service with this faction.
