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Iran football chief Mehdi Taj seeks FIFA guarantees of respect in US after Canada denied him entry over IRGC links, warns may skip World Cup if visas and treatment are not assured
Iran is marked absent at the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver (AP)
Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj said on Wednesday that he will meet FIFA President Gianni Infantino within the next three or four days, during which he will seek assurances that Iran will be respected at the World Cup in the United States.
Canada, which is co-hosting the June 11 to July 19 World Cup with the U.S. and Mexico, said it refused Taj entry last week because of his links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
On Tuesday, Taj said Iran would not take part in the tournament if FIFA could not guarantee respect for the country’s institutions in the U.S., where the team will be based and play all three of their group matches.
“We will tell (FIFA) what our expectations are. If they can address them, we will definitely participate,” the FFIRI president told state broadcaster IRIB in Tehran on Wednesday.
“But if there is no guarantee that they will be addressed, then no one has the right to insult us or the pillars of our system.
“And if they continue on the path of disrespect, and even ask our players those kinds of questions, we may make a different decision.”
Both the U.S. and Canada classify the IRGC as a “terrorist entity” and have made it clear they will not admit people with links to the elite military force.
Taj, who served as a high-ranking IRGC official before moving into football administration, received the backing of Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei for his stance on Wednesday.
“Look, our national football team is not ‘travelling’ to the United States; rather, we are going there to take part in the FIFA World Cup,” Baghaei told reporters in Tehran.
“Therefore, it is FIFA’s responsibility to provide all the necessary facilities and conditions.
“Host governments also have a very clear obligation under FIFA regulations to provide the necessary arrangements and issue the required visas without taking political considerations or motives into account.
“We hope that FIFA, if only for the sake of preserving its own credibility, will certainly take the necessary measures.”
Will Iran Participate In FIFA World Cup?
Iran’s participation in the World Cup has been in doubt since the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February, triggering the war in the region.
Taj also said a wider 30-man squad for the tournament would be selected this week, before being cut to a final 26 players after a training camp in Turkey.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei told state media that the squad plans to arrive in the U.S. 14 days before the start of the tournament, following the two-week camp.
Ghalenoei said he would like the squad to play two or three warm-up matches, but attempts to arrange friendly internationals had proved difficult, with teams pulling out at the last minute.
The squad will therefore remain in Tehran for another week before heading to Turkey on May 16, where Iran played friendlies against Costa Rica and Nigeria in late March.
Team Melli are scheduled to begin their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15. The team’s U.S. base will be at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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