According to The Washington Post, the Trump administration is pushing back on complaints from Iran’s national team that it was forced to leave the U.S. immediately after its first World Cup match instead of being allowed a day to recover in a hotel, insisting that this schedule had been planned in advance.
The U.S. is rejecting claims from Iran’s national team that it was compelled to depart the country right after its opening World Cup game, saying the arrangement was always intended to work that way.
“We were clear this was the process,” Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said after Monday night’s 2-2 draw with New Zealand that the team had been instructed to leave the U.S. only hours after the match and return to its training base in Mexico. He said the squad had expected to stay overnight in California to allow for normal post-match recovery.
Iran winger Mehdi Torabi’s U.S. entry visa had also expired after the first game. Team officials said Tuesday that he later obtained a new multiple-entry visa after visiting the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana.
“This issue has been resolved,” the State Department said Tuesday. “As soon as we became aware of the issue, we worked to ensure that the player can participate in every game.”
Giuliani also said in a CBS News interview that some Iranian support staff and officials were denied entry into the U.S., though all players and coaches were granted visas. He outlined the conditions under which the Iranian team would be allowed entry for matches.
“The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match. They’ll be asked to leave the day the match wraps up, so the evening of the match. And they’ll be able to do that again in Los Angeles. They’ll be able to do it again in Seattle,” Giuliani said. The team’s next match is Sunday in Los Angeles.
When asked why some support staff and officials were denied entry, Giuliani declined to provide details, instead referring to comments by Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding entry restrictions for individuals with alleged ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“Secretary Rubio said very clearly: Anybody with direct ties to the IRGC is not coming into the United States of America, and they’re not going to let the World Cup be the reason why they can come in,” Giuliani said. “So I think it’s very clear why.”
Iran’s football federation said in a statement that it had asked FIFA to follow up on cases of individuals who had not received visas, noting that “the team’s media duties were being handled by one of the analysts, which is neither professional nor an appropriate arrangement.”
“Like the other 47 participating teams, the Iranian delegation is expected to have its full operational staff in place, including a team manager, a media officer, and an administrative manager,” the federation said. “Their absence creates obvious challenges for the team’s daily operations and is not consistent with standard tournament procedures.”
Iran’s World Cup campaign has been complicated since the conflict involving the U.S. and Israel began on Feb. 28. Iran ultimately decided to compete even after FIFA rejected its request to move its three group-stage matches outside the United States.
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi said the team endured a five-hour journey and security checks during what is normally a short trip from Tijuana to the Los Angeles area on Sunday.
“I think FIFA have to help us more than this,” Taremi said.
