馃嚫馃嚦SenegalWest Africa
Iran national football team travels to Mexico for World Cup amid US visa denials for staff
via SeneNews3 min read
The Iranian national football team departed for Mexico on Saturday, where their World Cup base camp is located. This follows a 15-day training camp in Antalya, Turkey. The team is scheduled to arrive in Tijuana, their base for the tournament, after securing visas for the United States, where their first match is set for June 15. However, Iran has reported "discriminatory treatment" due to the US denying visas to several members of its management and technical staff. The Iranian Embassy in Turkey criticized these denials on X, calling them the "highest level of intentional discriminatory treatment." This statement was a response to an earlier announcement by US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who stated that the Iranian team had received their visas. A US administration official confirmed on Saturday that the necessary visas for Iran's participation, including for athletes and essential support staff, had been issued. The official added that the US would not allow the Iranian team to "abuse this system to smuggle terrorists into the United States under false pretenses," without providing further details. According to Iranian state television, 15 administrative and management staff members, including federation president Mehdi Taj, are affected by the visa denials. Amir Mahdi Alavi, spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation, questioned who would attend pre-match coordination meetings if the team's manager and press officer were absent, stating that a letter had been s
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