Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, confirmed this Thursday that Iran will play in the World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico next summer.
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“Of course, Iran is going to play in the United States of America. The reason is very simple. We have to unite and get closer to the people. FIFA unites the world. We must always remember to be positive,” he said during the organization’s annual congress.
“We must show ourselves happy. There are enough problems in the world. If no one tries to unite us… What will happen in our world? It is an opportunity we have at the congress and at the World Cup. We have the power and the magic of being all united because united we are invincible,” he added.
Iran does not participate in the FIFA Congress because one of its members was denied entry to Canada
It so happens that this Thursday the FIFA Congress was inaugurated in Canada without Iran, an absence that highlights the geopolitical tensions and logistical problems looming over the World Cup.
The officials of the Iranian Football Federation, including president Mehdi Taj, were scheduled to attend the meeting but turned back at Toronto airport after what Tehran called “unacceptable behavior” by Canadian immigration authorities, despite traveling with valid visas.
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A source with direct knowledge told Reuters that two members of the delegation could have attended the FIFA Congress, but they decided not to after one of them was denied entry to Canada.
No seats were arranged for Iran at the Vancouver Convention Centre
No seats were arranged for Iran at the Vancouver Convention Centre, as confirmed by a Reuters reporter, while 210 of the 211 member federations were listed as present.
Canadian authorities stated that entry decisions were made on a case-by-case basis and reiterated that individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Ottawa designates as a terrorist organization, are inadmissible. Taj is a former member of that corps.
The incident leaves one of the most politically sensitive delegations absent from FIFA’s annual meeting, depriving the congress of direct representation from a country whose presence in the World Cup is already shaping behind-the-scenes discussions.
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