Iran's Football Federation Pulls Out of World Cup Draw Over Visa Row
The Iranian football federation has announced that it will boycott the upcoming FIFA World Cup draw in Washington D.C. due to a visa dispute involving its president, Mehdi Taj. The decision comes after Taj and other members of the delegation were denied visas by the US state department.
According to reports, four officials from the FFIRI were granted visas to attend the tournament, but Taj was one of three individuals who had their applications rejected. This move has raised concerns that Iran may withdraw its team from the World Cup altogether.
The issue is particularly contentious given that the US government has a travel ban in place on citizens from several countries, including Iran. However, athletes and coaches are exempt from this ban, although it appears that Taj does not fall into either of these categories.
"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," said a spokesperson for the FFIRI, Amir Mehdi Alavi. "This is a clear indication that we will not be participating in any capacity."
FIFA President Gianni Infantino had previously pledged that all teams would be welcome at the World Cup, but his words may have fallen on deaf ears as Iran takes its stance.
The US Department of State has refused to comment on the matter, while FIFA has declined to provide further information. However, it's clear that this visa dispute is having a significant impact on the Iranian team's participation in the tournament.
The Iranian football federation has announced that it will boycott the upcoming FIFA World Cup draw in Washington D.C. due to a visa dispute involving its president, Mehdi Taj. The decision comes after Taj and other members of the delegation were denied visas by the US state department.
According to reports, four officials from the FFIRI were granted visas to attend the tournament, but Taj was one of three individuals who had their applications rejected. This move has raised concerns that Iran may withdraw its team from the World Cup altogether.
The issue is particularly contentious given that the US government has a travel ban in place on citizens from several countries, including Iran. However, athletes and coaches are exempt from this ban, although it appears that Taj does not fall into either of these categories.
"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," said a spokesperson for the FFIRI, Amir Mehdi Alavi. "This is a clear indication that we will not be participating in any capacity."
FIFA President Gianni Infantino had previously pledged that all teams would be welcome at the World Cup, but his words may have fallen on deaf ears as Iran takes its stance.
The US Department of State has refused to comment on the matter, while FIFA has declined to provide further information. However, it's clear that this visa dispute is having a significant impact on the Iranian team's participation in the tournament.
this is soooo unfair! i feel bad for iran and their football team 
like they got visas for some but not mehdi taj 
i hope they can figure out what's going on and get everything sorted out soon 
maybe the us government should look into making a special exception just for athletes? 
that would be amazing 
Iran's football federation is pulling out of the World Cup draw over some Visa drama 
like what even is the point of a football tournament if u cant attend? 
and its not just the football, think about all the other athletes who arent allowed to compete in the US due to that travel ban 
This whole thing is just a headache for everyone involved. I mean, can't you just sort out visas for one person? It's not like Mehdi Taj's presence at the draw is going to bring some kind of global security risk. And now Iran's team might miss out on the World Cup entirely - that's a huge shame for football fans everywhere 
. I guess this says something about the complexities of international relations and the US government's stance on travel bans, but can't we just focus on the beautiful game? 
The whole thing with Iran and the World Cup draw seems super weird. I mean, you'd think that the US gov't would be all about promoting sports and unity, but visa issues seem to be taking priority? 
It's not like this is a massive surprise considering the travel ban in place for Iranian citizens... or is it supposed to exempt athletes and coaches from that too? 
Anyway, I'm sure the Iranian team will figure out what to do next. Maybe they'll just boycott the whole thing or something. It's not like the World Cup can't go on without 'em... 
its not like the us govnt doesnt have better things 2 do than deal w/ this drama... like FIFA needs 2 step in & be all "oh ok, we dont care bout ur visa problems" 
but come on, world cup is all about football 
not politics... or is it? 
like wat about all those iranian players who wanna compete in the world cup?!?! 
... just kidding, I'm sure they'll still manage to win some matches 
... it's always more fun when sports are about the love of the game, not bureaucratic red tape 