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US refuses to ease Iran World Cup travel restrictions for Belgium match

From Al Jazeera · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The United States will not relax travel restrictions for Iran's World Cup team, despite a complaint to FIFA.
  • Iran's team must travel within 24 hours of matches and return to Mexico, drawing criticism from their coach.
  • The US State Department confirmed a visa issue for winger Mehdi Torabi has been resolved.

The United States will maintain its existing travel restrictions for Iran's national soccer team during the World Cup, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament, confirmed Saturday. This decision comes despite Iran's intention to file a complaint with FIFA over the limitations.

The situation is dynamic.

— Andrew GiulianiExecutive director of the White House Task Force for the tournament, commenting on the evolving travel arrangements for the Iranian team.

Iran's team is unhappy with rules requiring them to travel to match venues only within 24 hours of their fixtures and to return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, immediately afterward. Coach Amir Ghalenoei has described his side as "the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup." The team's rapid departures after matches have drawn criticism regarding the handling of their visas and the lack of recovery time.

We have a plan right now. Tomorrow afternoon [after the match against Belgium], they will take the 27-minute flight back to Tijuana. We will see how it goes for match two, and then there will be discussions the day after in terms of what it looks like for match three in Seattle.

— Andrew GiulianiDescribing the immediate and future plans for the Iranian team's travel and accommodation during the World Cup.

While the US will continue to assess the team's travel arrangements, the current plan remains in effect. The State Department did confirm that a visa issue for winger Mehdi Torabi, whose entry visa expired after the first game, has been resolved with a new, multiple-entry visa secured. The same travel protocol will apply to Iran's upcoming match against Belgium on Sunday.

The shift from Tucson to Tijuana, I think, was good for everybody involved. Certainly it reduces their travel time to Los Angeles too. Their flight is an hour shorter than it would be from Tucson. And we’re happy with the way that t

— Andrew GiulianiDefending the current travel protocols and highlighting the benefits of the team's training base location.

Giuliani acknowledged that the situation is "dynamic" and that discussions will occur regarding measures for Iran's third game against Egypt in Seattle. He also defended the current restrictions, noting that the team's shift in training bases from Tucson to Tijuana has actually reduced their travel time to Los Angeles.

the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup

— Amir GhalenoeiIran's coach, expressing his dissatisfaction with the travel restrictions imposed by the US.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Al Jazeera. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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