FIFA president at Congress in Canada: “Our task is to unite people”. The US one: “Gianni is fantastic, I think we should let them play.” But in the meantime the Iranian delegation was rejected at the border and sent back to Türkiye
For the umpteenth time Gianni Infantino has reiterated Iran’s presence at the next World Cup. The FIFA president reiterated this during his speech at the World Football Federation Congress which opened today in Vancouver, Canada. “To begin with, I want to confirm without ambiguity that Iran will obviously participate in the 2026 World Cup. And of course Iran will play in the United States – said Infantino -. We must unite people, it is my and our responsibility. Football and FIFA unite the world. We must be positive, smiling, happy: there are enough problems in the world, enough people trying to divide. If no one tries to unite people, what will happen to our world? We have this opportunity. Together we are unbeatable.” The number one of the International Federation therefore wanted to dispel any doubts regarding the fact that, at the beginning of hostilities, the Iranian government itself had feared the possibility of boycotting the World Cup. Shortly afterwards the president of the USA echoed this: “Well, if Gianni said it, that’s fine with me – said Trump, answering a question about the comments of Infantino, with whom the US leader has close ties – Gianni is fantastic and if he said it I think we should let them play”.
Iranians out
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In the meantime, however, the president of the Iranian Football Federation was prevented from entering Canada to participate in the Congress. Mehdi Taj said he was turned away at Toronto Pearson Airport along with secretary general Hedayat Mombeni and his deputy Hamed Momeni despite having valid visas, denouncing “unacceptable behavior” by immigration officers. On the Canadian front, the version is that the Iranian delegates were sent back to Turkey for their alleged links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has been included in the list of terrorist organizations since 2024.
Foreign Minister Anita Anand tried to tone it down: “It’s not my direct responsibility, but from what I understand there was a revocation of the permit. It was unintentional, but I will leave the task of clarifying to the Immigration Minister.” According to the Tasnim agency, FIFA contacted the Iranian delegation to express regret for the incident, assuring that it would organize a meeting with Infantino. The diplomatic case remains that fuels tensions around the Iranian national team.
La Gazzetta dello Sport
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