Iran’s national team arrived in Mexico in the early hours of this Sunday (7) for the World Cup. The tournament will take place simultaneously in three countries: Mexico, the United States and Canada. Amid the war between Iran and the United States, which began in February, the country’s delegation managed to change its base for the tournament.
The Iranian squad was initially due to stay in Arizona, United States. In recent days, it was agreed that the team would instead be based in Tijuana, Mexico. Iran will nevertheless play all three of its group-stage matches in the United States.
Its first two games will be near Los Angeles, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21. Then, on June 26, it will face Egypt in Seattle.
This is the first World Cup since the tournament began in 1930 in which a host nation will receive a country with which it is at war. The welcome, however, is neither warm nor friendly. A U.S. State Department official confirmed to Reuters that visas had been issued, stressing that they were granted “to athletes and necessary support staff.”
“We will not allow the Iranian national team to abuse this system to bring terrorists into the United States under false pretenses,” the U.S. official added.
Restricted visas
Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, complained that his country’s team must travel to the United States on the same day as its World Cup matches. This is because of restrictions imposed on the visas granted to Iranian players and coaching staff.
Pasandideh believes the U.S. requirement could physically disadvantage the Iranian team.
“Traveling for so long, flying back and forth, will leave the players tired. Coordination problems and lost time could affect our team’s performance,” he told a press conference.
He emphasized that the very presence of his country’s team at the World Cup, while Iran remains under U.S. military attack, demonstrates his compatriots’ peaceful intentions. “Considering that our country is under attack, to show that we have come in peace, we have brought our team.”
Not every member of the delegation, however, is guaranteed to attend the tournament. Several members of the Iranian national team were denied visas, including “important members of management and administration,” according to Iran’s football federation, which accused the United States of failing to meet its obligations as a host and violating the rules of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
Pasandideh said that 15 of the 70 group members who arrived in Tijuana this Sunday had not received visas to enter the United States.
Source: Agência Brasil
Leave a Reply