Iranian soccer officials, including federation president Mehdi Taj, were reportedly denied entry into Canada ahead of the FIFA Congress meeting in Vancouver, just weeks before the World Cup. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand confirmed on Wednesday that permission for their entry had been revoked, describing the denial as 'unintentional'.
The denial was first reported by Tasnim, an Iranian news agency linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which claimed the officials were refused entry due to 'inappropriate behavior of immigration officials' at Toronto’s Pearson Airport. However, Iran International reported that Taj, who had been granted a visa on Monday, was removed from Canada late Tuesday evening due to his alleged connections to the IRGC, which is listed as a terrorist entity in Canada.
Anand stated, 'It’s not my personal lead, but my understanding is that there is a revocation of the permission. It was unintentional, but I’ll leave it to the minister to indicate,' referring to Immigration Minister Lena Diab. Diab’s office declined to comment on individual cases due to privacy laws but reiterated that IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada.
The FIFA Congress gathering, which commenced on Thursday, precedes a World Cup co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico. Representatives from all 211 FIFA federations were expected to attend. FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Iran's status for the event.
