Four members of Iran’s 15-strong World Cup delegation have won appeals against having their visas to the US rejected but 11 more members of party have been denied entry
Four Members of Iran’s delegation to the World Cup have managed to win appeals against having their visas to the US rejected.
However 11 more members of the party, which Iran called “integral” members of its national team’s backroom staff, will not be allowed to enter the US when their team plays there.
Officials in Washington said that Iran’s players had been given permission to enter the country for the World Cup but last week Iran said other staff members had been denied entry.
The Iranian delegation have based themselves in Mexico, with 10 of the 15 Iranian delegation members submitting fresh visa applications to enter the US after touching down in the Latin American nation.
Only four of those appeals proved successful, with an analyst and two officials from the federation’s international department granted entry to the US. The other six applicants were rejected again, according to the BBC.
Members of the delegation including president of the Iran Football Federation Mehdi Taj along with a federation vice president were denied visas, along with two administrators in charge of daily operations, a media officer and a security officer.
Iran are set to face off against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles before facing Belgium there on June 21 and then playing Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
On Wednesday FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: “I’m very happy because I went to see myself the Iranian team in Turkey in March and people were saying it would be impossible for Iran to come to the World Cup – I promised them that they would come and if I had to go with a bus to Tehran and drive them I would do that.”
US secretary of state Marco Rubio previously said Iran’s players will be welcome at the tournament but individuals with links to the IRGC could face entry restrictions.
