"Don't come unless it's the players" — U.S. visa denial controversy: Only 4 officials granted visas... Association president denied entry again

*This content was translated by AI.

Only four additional officials from the Iranian national football team traveling to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America have been granted U.S. entry visas.

According to the UK's BBC and others, among the 15th Iranian team officials whose U.S. entry visas were previously denied, 10 reapplied for new visas after arriving in Mexico for training, but only four were approved for entry: two staff members from the international department and one performance analyst.

Meanwhile, six individuals, including Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, were once again denied visas, while one media officer gave up on reapplying. The United States, which is at war with Iran, permits only players participating in the World Cup to enter the country and restricts visa issuance for key executives and staff.

Due to the United States' strict stay restrictions, the Iranian national team is expected to face significant disruptions to its schedule. Iran, placed in Group G of the group stage, will play all its matches in the United States: against New Zealand on the 16th, Belgium on the 22nd (both in Los Angeles), and Egypt on the 27th (in Seattle).

However, Iran has already moved its planned base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, which is adjacent to California. As a result, the Iranian team must repeatedly travel to the United States on match days, play the game, and then return to Tijuana immediately afterward.

Meanwhile, the United States also denied entry to Omar Arthan, a football referee of Somali origin, citing suspicions of ties to terrorist organizations, in addition to the Iranian officials.

Despite the repeated visa denials, FIFA has effectively done nothing. In response, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter strongly criticized the situation, stating, "Unrestricted entry for teams and referees participating in the finals is a fundamental principle of the World Cup," and added, "FIFA must never undermine the universality of football."

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*This content was translated by AI.