Iran has issued a 10-point ultimatum for Fifa to guarantee its football team’s involvement at next month’s World Cup in the United States.
The Middle East nation signalled in its most direct terms since the war with the US and Israel started that it will compete. However, it is seeking a series of guarantees to ensure no “retreat from our beliefs, culture and convictions”.
In a sign of ongoing tensions surrounding the team’s participation, the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) has said the US “must take our concerns into account”.
Mehdi Taj, the FFIRI president who was denied entry to Canada before last month’s Fifa Congress, disclosed that Iran had presented Fifa with 10 conditions for participation in the World Cup, which begins on June 11 in the US, Mexico and Canada.
The entire list has not been confirmed but the Iranian journalist Alireza Akbari reports that they include:
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Visas without complications for all players and staff, including those who performed military service for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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Once visas are issued, players and staff should not be subjected to questioning by US immigration authorities.
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Visas for Iranian journalists and fans attending matches must be resolved in advance.
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US authorities must maintain the highest security protocols at airports, hotels, transit routes and stadiums.
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Fans may only bring their official team flags to stadiums; no other flags will be allowed.
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The playing of Iran’s national anthem during all matches must be “ensured and free from disruption”.
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Questions from journalists during press conferences should be strictly limited to match-related topics.
It was reported elsewhere that remaining demands include requests for no political criticism directed at the team, no insults towards Iranian military personnel and official recognition of Islamic Republic symbols throughout the tournament.
Concern around visas being blocked over links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could be a significant hurdle. The group is listed as a terrorist organisation in Canada and the US, and Taj’s links to it were cited as a reason he was denied entry into Canada.
Nevertheless, addressing the congress in Vancouver, Fifa president Gianni Infantino promised that Iran would compete in the tournament in North America.
Taj, however, says the threat of any further visa complications could prompt Iran to pull out. “We need a guarantee there, for our trip, that they have no right to insult the symbols of our system – especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Taj told Iranian state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) last week.
“This is something they must pay serious attention to. If there is such a guarantee and the responsibility is clearly assumed, then an incident like what happened in Canada will not happen again.”
Taj added: “We are going to the World Cup, for which we qualified, and our host is Fifa – not Mr Trump or America. If they accept hosting us, then they must also accept that they must not insult our military institutions in any way.”
Despite its war with US and Israel, Iran is scheduled to play New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 16 (UK time), Belgium in Los Angeles on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 27.
Infantino will need Trump to get Iran’s requests through
Tom Morgan
Gianni Infantino has repeatedly promised Iran will be at the World Cup this summer, but some of these new demands are beyond his control.
Around half of the requests should fall within Fifa’s remit, which will cover tournament logistics, official protocols and the treatment of participating delegations.
But Donald Trump has yet to make any cast-iron assurances that Iran will play this summer, and the questions raised over visas, border controls and security vetting will be under US jurisdiction. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, had warned that individuals with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could still face restrictions on entering the United States.
Can Infantino answer Iran’s demands in time? Having handed Trump his peace prize last December, it may be time for the Fifa president to call in some favours…
