GENEVA (AP) — Iranian soccer officials are set to meet soon with FIFA in Zurich about their World Cup games in the United States in June.
Iran’s top soccer official Mehdi Taj said on Friday “we have many issues to discuss” on his return home from Canada where he failed to attend FIFA’s annual congress held on Thursday in Vancouver.
FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström has invited an Iranian delegation to its headquarters by a May 20 deadline, a person familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing sensitivity of the issue.
That target date in Zurich is three weeks before the Iran squad is due in the U.S., staying at a training base in Tucson, Arizona, to prepare for three group games in Inglewood, California and Seattle.
“Our position is that we will soon have a meeting with FIFA,” Taj told Iranian media on Friday.
Iran’s difficult road to World Cup
Iran is an Asian soccer power but its ability and willingness to come to the World Cup has been questioned since the U.S. and Israel launched military attacks on Feb. 28. The tournament is being co-hosted by Canada and Mexico,
On Thursday, FIFA President Gianni Infantino opened his keynote speech to global soccer leaders — with only Iran missing of the 211 member federations — insisting again that Iran will come and play as scheduled in the U.S.
At the White House later Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed his support for Iran’s team, adding: “If Gianni said it, I’m OK.”
Trump and Infantino have closely allied over the World Cup preparations which has challenges, beyond Iran with fans from several African countries, over granting entry visas and security concerns.
Canada arrival issue
Taj and two more Iran officials had issues this week on landing in Toronto en route to Vancouver where they were expected at the FIFA annual meeting.
Taj, who is also a vice president of Asia’s soccer body, detailed on Friday the problems with Canadian authorities though he said he was not deported.
“In Canada they asked us, ‘Are you members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps?’ We told them, ‘In Iran, 90 million of us are IRGC,’” Taj was reported as saying in Iranian media.
After being detained for two hours at Toronto airport, the Iran soccer delegation which had arrived from Istanbul was told it could continue the journey.
“There was some discussion and he said, ‘It’s up to you,’ and then we decided as a group to go back” to Istanbul, Taj said. “They did not officially deport us, there is nothing labeled as deportation in our file, but in practice it was like that.”
Taj had a valid visa to enter Canada after he was denied one by the U.S. to attend the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5. At that event, Infantino presented Trump with the first FIFA Peace Prize.
Iran’s World Cup games
Iran has World Cup group games against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, respectively, from June 15-26. The first two games are at the NFL stadium of the Los Angeles Rams and the third is at the Seattle Seahawks’ stadium.
If Iran advances as runner-up in its group, the team could face the United States in the round of 32 at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium on July 3.
The Iranian soccer league shut down after the war started and is not due to resume before the World Cup. The squad played two warmup games in March at a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, where it could return this month to prepare for the World Cup that opens on June 11.
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