Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister, Anita Anand, stated today that it was her “understanding” Iranian soccer officials were barred from entering the country ahead of the FIFA Congress, happening today in Vancouver, just weeks before the World Cup kicks off.
Anand’s remarks seemed to corroborate a report from Tasnim, an Iranian news outlet linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), though she emphasized that the denial was “unintentional.”
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister/SOURCE: Open Canada
According to President of the Iranian Football Federation, Tasnim Mehdi Taj, along with two other officials, faced entry denial due to “inappropriate behavior of immigration officials” at Toronto’s Pearson Airport.
”It’s not my personal lead, but my understanding is that there is a revocation of the permission. It was unintentional, but I’ll leave it to the minister to indicate,” Anand said, referring to Immigration Minister Lena Diab.
The online platform Iran International first reported that Taj had received a visa on Monday but was sent back from Canada late Tuesday night due to his ties with the IRGC, which is designated as a terrorist organization in Canada.
In response to inquiries, Diab’s office stated that all visa applications undergo individual review by trained officials.
”While we cannot comment on specific cases due to privacy regulations, the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our nation,” remarked Taous Ait, Diab’s press secretary.
The FIFA Congress is set to convene just weeks before the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Delegates from all 211 federations under soccer’s governing body were expected to attend the event starting Thursday.
Iranian representatives were absent from Tuesday’s significant gathering of Asia’s soccer leaders with Gianni Infantino, prior to this summer’s World Cup.
The Asian Football Confederation Congress did not address Iran’s participation in the tournament or discuss whether their matches should be relocated outside the United States due to ongoing tensions between the two nations.
Concerns had been raised leading up to Thursday’s meetings regarding potential visa complications that could hinder the Iranian delegation’s travel to Vancouver for the FIFA Congress and the World Cup commencing on June 11.
Iran is slated to begin its World Cup journey in Group G on June 15 against New Zealand in Inglewood, California, followed by matches against Egypt and Belgium.
FIFA has yet to provide any comments regarding Iran’s status for the upcoming event.
By: Madeline Moore