06/23/26 02:38:00
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06/23 14:36 CDT US eases restriction on Iran's World Cup team, allowing travel
2 days before next match
US eases restriction on Iran's World Cup team, allowing travel 2 days before
next match
By GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA and SEUNG MIN KIM
Associated Press
The U.S. is easing its restrictions on Iran's World Cup team, allowing the
squad to travel into the country two days before its next match, the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.
The team will still be required to leave after Friday's match in Seattle, a
department spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the Iran Football Federation
confirmed that the team will leave its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on
Wednesday for Seattle.
"This was planned on our end," Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the
White House FIFA Task Force, told The Associated Press. "We were going to look
at how the first two movements went, and if they went smoothly, we would extend
the extra day in light of the longer travel time."
The policy change was first reported by NBC News and comes as officials from
both countries negotiate over how to end the war in Iran.
Iran's squad has complained about the travel restrictions levied on the team,
and the challenges it has faced since the outbreak of war. Iran originally
sought to move its group stage matches to Mexico, with whom it has diplomatic
ties. The team's base camp was relocated from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana.
Several team officials and members of the support staff have been barred from
traveling into the U.S. with the team.
For the first two matches, in Los Angeles, the team was not permitted to travel
until the day before, which Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei repeatedly said put the
team at a disadvantage. The team had less than 24 hours on the ground before
its noon match Sunday. "Right now we need recovery more than anything,"
Ghalenoei said through a translator after the 0-0 draw against Belgium. "The
conditions have been extremely hard for us."
It's not uncommon for teams to travel a day before the match, and it's in line
with FIFA regulations, which state that "each team shall travel from its team
base camp to the match venue one day before matchday (MD?1) and in exceptional
cases on MD?2, and shall return to their team base camp after the match (on
MD/MD+1)."
But Iran had asked for more time to acclimate to host cities and recover after
matches, especially for the 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometer) trip to Seattle. The
team has scheduled a Thursday training at the University of Washington.
"We don't ask for much. We just ask for the same procedure as for all the other
47 teams," Iran national team player Alireza Jahanbakhsh said Sunday.
"Hopefully we can bring everyone who is involved and help us with us."
The Iran team has also said it experienced difficulties entering and exiting
the U.S. each time it made the 127-mile (204-kilometer) flight between Tijuana
and Los Angeles. The typically short trip took five hours the day before its
first match against New Zealand, team captain Mehdi Taremi said.
Hours before Sunday's match against Belgium, U.S. Homeland Security Markwayne
Mullin told Fox News the Iranians had "tried to get somebody in yesterday" who
had direct ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard. In a statement, the soccer
federation vociferously pushed back, calling the claim "an outright and
undeniable lie."
It's unclear whether Iran's upcoming opponent, Egypt, will also be allowed to
arrive in Seattle two days early. After its 3-1 victory against New Zealand in
Vancouver Sunday, Egypt asked to fly directly to Seattle. FIFA denied that
request, citing a lack of security resources to accommodate the last-minute
demand. Egypt returned to its base camp in Spokane, Washington, a 45-minute
flight from Seattle.
Egypt's national team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
___
AP Sports Writer John Marshall contributed reporting. AP World Cup coverage:
https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
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