Iran soccer team departs for Mexico ahead of World Cup

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Iran's World Cup shot squad set disconnected from Turkey for their grooming basal successful Mexico connected Saturday, with immoderate members of their entourage reportedly inactive without U.S. visas, earlier 3 radical matches successful the U.S. aboriginal this month.

The Iranian Football Federation's secretary-general, Hedayat Mombeini, and its vice president, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, were among 14 backroom unit and officials without U.S. visas earlier games successful Los Angeles and Seattle, according to Iranian authorities television.

It was unclear whether the federation's president, Mehdi Taj, had been issued a visa.

The team's information successful the World Cup has been analyzable by the Iran war. Problems with processing visas had earlier led Iran to determination its grooming base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, which is connected the borderline with California.

The federation accused the U.S. of "vindictive behavior" successful refusing visas for "key managerial and administrative members" of the team.

The determination had "effectively denied the Iranian nationalist squad the accidental for a level playing tract and a contention escaped from discrimination," according to a connection connected the federation's website. It added that the federation would prosecute the substance done satellite shot authorization FIFA.

The Iranian Embassy successful Ankara, meanwhile, responded to an earlier societal media station from U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack, successful which helium congratulated his embassy unit for processing the Iran team's visas.

"You cannot whitewash behaviour that violates FIFA regulations and breaches the United States' big obligations simply by praising yourselves," the Iranian station read. "This represents the worst imaginable signifier of politically biased interference successful sport."

One U.S. authoritative earlier told The Associated Press that each players connected the Iranian squad were approved for visas, portion a 2nd authoritative said visas had been issued for players, coaches, trainers and immoderate enactment staff. A 3rd authoritative suggested that immoderate applicants affiliated with the squad had been rejected for requesting visas "under mendacious pretenses."

The officials spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they weren't authorized to sermon the visas publicly.

The squad has been preparing for the World Cup astatine a grooming campy successful Antalya. The squad said that it has already received visas from the Mexican Embassy successful Ankara.

The players, dressed successful bluish blazers implicit achromatic T-shirts, near the luxury Mardan Palace edifice successful Antalya connected Saturday afternoon. They boarded a backstage pitchy astatine the Mediterranean city's airdrome and were owed to alert straight to Mexico.

Iran plays its archetypal 2 games successful Inglewood, California, against New Zealand connected June 15, and Belgium six days later, past heads to Seattle to look Egypt connected June 26. Iran and the U.S. could conscionable successful the circular of 32 connected July 3 successful Arlington, Texas, if some teams travel 2nd successful their groups.

In March, President Trump had discouraged Iran from participating successful the tournament, saying helium didn't deliberation it was "appropriate" and raising concerns implicit players' "life and safety." A time later, Iran's nationalist squad pushed back, saying "no 1 tin exclude" it from playing.

At 1 point, Iran attempted to determination its radical games from the U.S. to Mexico.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has repeatedly said that Iran volition participate. On April 30 successful Vancouver, Canada, portion addressing the FIFA Congress — an yearly gathering which involves FIFA representatives from much than 200 nations — Infantino opened his remarks by "confirming, consecutive away, for those who privation to accidental thing other oregon constitute thing else, that of people Iran volition beryllium participating astatine the FIFA World Cup 2026. And of people Iran volition play successful the United States of America."

Iran finalized its squad connected Monday, including 17 home-based players whose clubs haven't played since February due to the fact that of the war. Star guardant Sardar Azmoun was dropped successful March, reportedly due to the fact that of a societal media station that angered Iranian authorities during the war.

Iran's sports curate said successful March that it would "not beryllium possible" for the squad to enactment successful the World Cup, but the republic's shot federation said successful May that it was moving up with a team.

The federation had insisted that each players and unit beryllium granted visas, including those who had subject work successful the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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