“The highest level of discrimination.” Iran accuses the US of refusing visas for most of the national team's technical staff at the World Cup
Iran denounced, on Saturday, a “discriminatory treatment” after the United States refused to issue visas for the soccer World Cup to several members of the national team's technical staff, reports News.ro.
“Why don't you say that visas have been denied to a large part of management and coaching staff, technical advisors and other people who are an integral part of the national team?” Iran's embassy in Turkey wrote on X, calling the denials “the highest level of intentional discrimination” against it.
This was done in response to a statement by the US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who announced that the players and “necessary support personnel” had received visas for the United States.
The US war with Iran has turned the World Cup – the world's biggest sporting event – into a geopolitical competition, with both sides appearing to use the tournament to display their political position.
It is the first World Cup, since its inception in 1930, in which a host country is to receive a country with which it is at war.
Tehran negotiated a last-minute move of the team's base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, due to visa issues and growing sentiment in Iran that the team's presence in the US should be minimized.
The team is due to arrive in Tijuana on Sunday morning.
Iran will play its first Group G match on June 15 against New Zealand in Los Angeles, where it will also face Belgium, before playing Egypt in Seattle.
