Iran’s soccer federation is moving forward with a formal complaint to FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, over the travel limitations its national team has encountered while competing at the World Cup in the United States.
Because of ongoing visa uncertainty and tensions between the two countries, Iran’s players and staff have been traveling back and forth from their tournament base in co-host Mexico for each of their three group stage matches held on U.S. soil.
American authorities have required the Iranian delegation to enter the country no earlier than 24 hours before each game and to depart the same day the match concludes. The restrictions prompted Iran’s head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, to describe his team as the “most oppressed” in the entire tournament.
Iran’s Football Federation released a statement Friday formally announcing its intention to protest to FIFA. “The Football Federation of Iran believes these restrictions are inconsistent with the principles of providing equal conditions for participating teams and may affect their technical preparation,” the statement read.
FIFA had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
Andrew Giuliani, director of the White House World Cup Task Force, told British newspaper The Telegraph that he would be open to renegotiating the conditions surrounding Iran’s entry into the United States. He indicated Washington could potentially allow the Iranian team to remain in the country for a longer period around their matches.
Speaking in Seattle ahead of the United States’ match against Australia, Giuliani said, “Look, everything is dynamic, things can be discussed on this and we certainly want to create competitive fair play on the field, that’s why every coach on the team has got their visa, has the opportunity to come in.”
He added, “The president wants to make sure this tournament strikes a competitive balance, while also making sure bad actors don’t get into the country. We’ve done that, with a month to go.”
Coach Ghalenoei said the disruption had already taken a toll on his squad, pointing to it as a factor in their 2-2 draw with New Zealand. The federation explained that under the coaching staff’s plan, the team had intended to arrive in the host city two days before each match to properly prepare both physically and technically, then return to their base the day after the game. “However, for the opening match against New Zealand, this request was not approved,” the federation stated.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security characterized the measures as safety precautions that had been agreed upon with Iran. The Iranian team is scheduled to face Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles, and will wrap up their Group G schedule against Egypt on June 27 in Seattle.
A department spokesperson clarified the arrangement in response to a media inquiry: “The team will be allowed to come in match day minus one, so the day before the match. They’ll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match.”
The spokesperson added, “Again, the President wants to make sure that we’re talking about what actually happens on the pitch. A lot of that is making sure that things are safe and secure, not just around the stadiums, but around base camps and training sites.”
