8 hours agoIran boycotts World Cup lots
Periskopi(6 months ago)
(6 months ago)Iranian football national has already secured participation in the World Championship, but Iran has decided to boycott the 2026 World Cup lot, which is held in Washington next week. According to what the state news agency” reports IRNA”, this decision came after the US refused visas to members of Iran's delegation, [...]
According to what the state news agency” reports IRNA”, this decision came after the US refused visas to members of Iran's delegation, writes IndexOnline.
The agency quoted Iranian football federation spokesman Amir-Mahdi Alavi as saying officials face obstacles to obtaining visas that go beyond sports considerations.
Alavi said the federation was addressed FIFA and hoped this would help resolve the issue. The football governing body did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Donald Trump's administration announced in June a travel ban on citizens from 12 countries, including Iran. The list included Haiti, which last week qualified for the World Cup.
The Iranian delegation was expected to be led by the president of the football federation, Mehdi Taj, one of the top officials in Asian football and a member of the FIFA two committees overseeing the World Cup.
He is one of the deputy speakers of the Asian Football Confederacy and a member of FIFA panels responsible for the ruling body's races, plus national men's team football in general.
