HOUSTON — American officials are defending the travel restrictions placed on Iran’s national soccer team during the World Cup, while leaving the door open to adjustments as the tournament moves forward, according to Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament.
Speaking exclusively with Reuters in Houston on Saturday, Giuliani said the current plan remains in effect but acknowledged the situation could evolve depending on how things unfold game by game.
Iran’s team has voiced frustration over rules requiring them to arrive at match venues no earlier than 24 hours before kickoff and return directly to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico immediately after each game. Iran’s head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, went so far as to describe his squad as “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup.”
Despite that criticism, Giuliani said discussions about what comes next are ongoing. He noted that after Iran’s Sunday match against Belgium in Los Angeles, officials will evaluate the situation before deciding what measures will apply to the team’s third group-stage game against Egypt in Seattle on Friday.
“The situation is dynamic,” Giuliani said. “We have a plan right now. Tomorrow afternoon (after the match against Belgium) they will take the 27-minute flight back to Tijuana. We will see how it goes for match two, and then there will be discussions the day after in terms of what it looks like for match three in Seattle.”
Giuliani also defended the decision to relocate Iran’s training base from Tucson to Tijuana before the tournament began, saying the move actually worked in the team’s favor by cutting down on travel time.
“The shift from Tucson to Tijuana, I think, was good for everybody involved, certainly it reduces their travel time to Los Angeles too,” he said. “Their flight is an hour shorter than it would be from Tucson. And we’re happy with the way that things went for match one in Los Angeles.”
On the topic of visas, Giuliani confirmed that all players and coaches on Iran’s squad received clearance to enter the country. However, he said some team officials were denied visas after officials found concerning information during their review.
“I would just point to the fact that all players have received visas. All the coaches have received visas. There are some team officials that have not received visas, and that’s because we’ve seen some derogatory information on them, and this is the balance that we talk about,” he said.
Giuliani emphasized that the overarching goal of the task force is to protect both American citizens and international visitors attending the tournament.
“We want to make sure we have this incredible soccer tournament, where people are welcome and enjoy the World Cup, while also making sure that we are not just protecting American citizens, but we’re also protecting all those international visitors that are coming here,” he said.
When asked about potential security threats, Giuliani said no credible dangers have been identified, though officials continue to monitor the situation closely around the clock.
“What I can tell you is our intelligence community has tripled down on this since the beginning of this year,” he said. “We’re in discussions every hour on it. But there have been no credible threats at this moment.”
Overall, Giuliani expressed satisfaction with how the first ten days of the World Cup have gone, calling it a fitting celebration tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“Things are going as planned,” he said. “It’s been fantastic to see the great play on the pitch, that seems to be the majority of the conversation, which has been fantastic. I think this is an amazing celebration of America over our 250th birthday, with the World Cup being the incredible highlight.”
