Iranian fans shut out of World Cup
The US and World Cup organizers have withdrawn Iran’s allocation of fan tickets just days before the tournament is set to begin, the country’s football federation has said.
The last-minute decision has left thousands of Iranian supporters who had already made travel arrangements unable to attend their team’s matches.
The World Cup kicks off on Thursday, with Iran set to face New Zealand and Belgium in their opening two Group G matches in Los Angeles on June 15 and June 21 respectively, before taking on Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
“The United States has once again acted to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums hosting the national team’s three group stage matches,” the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The federation said its ticket allocation had been withdrawn in an “unexpected move,” leaving it unable to provide “even a single ticket” to supporters of the national team.
Participating federations are typically allocated 8% of the tickets for each of their matches, which they distribute to supporters under their own criteria.
FFIRI described the decision as “contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries.” It added that the move raised “serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations” in the organization of the World Cup.
Iran’s federation called on FIFA and tournament organizers “to uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations” and to ensure Iranian supporters could attend the matches.
The complaint is the latest dispute related to Iran’s World Cup preparations, which have been overshadowed by uncertainty since US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran in late February.
Tehran has said visa issues had prevented around 15 administrative and management staff in its delegation from entering the US, while Iran’s team was forced to abandon plans to base its World Cup training camp in Tucson, Arizona, and instead set up in the Mexican border city of Tijuana.
All Iranian players were granted US visas last week, 10 days before their World Cup opener, although several members of the delegation’s support staff were still denied entry. An unnamed US official told Reuters last week that Washington had issued “the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup.”
