Iranian football federation secretary-general Hedayat Mombeyni has criticised World Cup organisers after Iran’s request to enter the United States two days before its match against Belgium was reportedly rejected.
Iran, which is based in Mexico during the tournament, had sought an earlier arrival in Los Angeles ahead of Sunday’s midday kick-off but said the request was turned down.
“This is a major international tournament. This sort of breaking of our rules and our agreements, in my opinion, calls football itself into question,” Mombeyni told reporters at the team’s training base in Tijuana.
US officials rejected the criticism, with White House Fifa Task Force chief Andrew Giuliani saying Iran had been informed in advance that its squad would only be permitted to enter the United States on the day before its matches.
