Iran have announced they will boycott next week’s World Cup draw in Washington after the president of the country’s football federation was denied a visa to enter the United States. A spokesperson for the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) described the decision as “unrelated to sport”, raising the prospect of Iran withdrawing from the tournament altogether.
Iran is one of 19 countries whose citizens are restricted from entering the US under a directive issued by President Donald Trump in June. An exemption to the ban was granted to athletes, coaches and “persons performing a necessary support role” travelling for the World Cup or other major sporting events, but it appears not to have been applied in this instance.
Amir Mehdi Alavi, the FFIRI spokesperson, was quoted by the Tehran Times as saying: “We have informed Fifa that the decisions taken are unrelated to sport and that the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw.” According to the newspaper, federation president Mehdi Taj was one of three individuals denied a visa by the US State Department, while four others, including head coach Amir Ghalenoei, were granted one.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino had previously assured that “everyone will be welcome” at the World Cup, which begins in Mexico City on 11 June. Speaking in October, he said: “We have excellent discussions with the US government. There is a White House taskforce chaired by President Trump, and all these topics are discussed there. With all the relevant secretaries of state, there will be no issues with regard to visas, obviously for the participating teams and delegations.”
Fifa has since confirmed the creation of the Fifa Pass, a scheme allowing World Cup ticket holders priority access to the visa application process. However, applications are not guaranteed to succeed. Politico reported that fans from Haiti, who also face travel restrictions, may be ineligible for visa issuance despite being able to apply. Fifa, the FFIRI and the US Department of State have been approached for comment.
