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ANTALYA, Turkey — Iran's soccer federation has accused the United States of «vindictive behavior» after saying that visas were refused for «key managerial and administrative members» of its World Cup team.
TIJUANA: Iran’s national football team was greeted Sunday in Mexico by a small group of supporters eager to give them a warm start to the World Cup, despite visa problems facing some staffers. “I’m very excited to see them,” said Sadegh Galavi as he watched the players’ bus leave the airport in Tijuana, cheered on by about a dozen fans. Galavi, a mechanic and resident of this city on the US border, did not hesitate to get up at dawn to welcome the team when it landed at 5:00 am. “My national team is coming to my city, and being here is a small thing I can do just to welcome them,” the man in his thirties told AFP, proudly wearing the white jersey with green and red trim of the Iranian side, known as “Team Melli.” The gesture felt especially important because the tournament is beginning under difficult circumstances for Iran. While the players obtained the visas necessary to enter the United States and play their group-stage matches in Los Angeles and Seattle, not all delegation members received them. About 15 accompanying officials were denied visas, including Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj, who previously served in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, designated a terrorist group by Washington. Unshakable faith “It makes no sense to me,” Galavi complained.
ANTALYA, Turkey: Iran's World Cup squad left Turkey for Mexico on Saturday (Jun 6), taking off under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row between Tehran and Washington after the US refused to issue visas for some of the team's support squad.
TEHRAN: Iran’s football squad, whose participation in the World Cup remains uncertain, have handed their passports to the US embassy in Turkiye for visas, the head of their Football Federation said on Friday. Mehdi Taj said Iran were following instructions from world football’s governing body. Their quest for the visas comes as Iran and the United States remain locked in negotiations to end the Middle East war that began in February with a massive wave of strikes on the Islamic republic. “Yesterday, I had discussions with FIFA regarding the US visas,” Taj said.
(Corrects to 'beat' from 'beats' in headline)
May 29 : Iranian FA chief Mehdi Taj said on Thursday he was unaware of any plans to bring striker Sardar Azmoun into Iran's World Cup squad despite an appeal for his recall from a vice president of the Islamic Republic.
TEHRAN: Iran’s football federation expects FIFA to facilitate multiple-entry visas for the United States for the Iranian national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup, its president said in a video broadcast by Iranian media Thursday. “FIFA is expected to deliver a multiple-entry visa so that the players can enter (the United States) and return (to Mexico),” federation president Mehdi Taj said. Known as “Team Melli,” the Iranian squad had initially planned to base itself in Tucson in Arizona during the tournament, but later moved its training camp to Tijuana in Mexico, which will co-host the World Cup alongside the US and Canada. Taj previously said the move was intended to avoid complications related to US visas and to allow the squad to travel directly to Mexico aboard Iran Air flights. Iran are scheduled to play all three of their Group G matches in the United States. “It is certain now that we will go to Mexico.
Iran's national soccer team will sleep in Mexico and travel to the U.S. on the days of its three World Cup matches after Washington declined to host the squad for the tournament, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday.