FIFA holds positive talks with Iranian football officials over World Cup participation

FIFA Secretary-General Meets with Iranian Football Chief

FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom held a meeting with Mehdi Taj, the football chief of Iran’s Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), on Saturday. According to Grafstrom, the meeting was “constructive and positive” and focused on addressing Iran’s concerns regarding their participation in the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Iran is scheduled to play all three of their group matches in the United States, but their team’s participation has been in question since a regional conflict began in February. The conflict escalated after Canada listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization” and denied entry to Taj for the FIFA Congress in Vancouver.

Grafstrom stated that he and Taj discussed operational matters and had a positive exchange during their meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. However, he declined to provide details on visa arrangements for Iran’s players. Taj expressed satisfaction with the meeting, saying that Iran’s points were listened to and solutions offered for each of them.

Iran had requested to switch some of their World Cup matches to Mexico, but FIFA President Gianni Infantino insisted that all games must be played at the originally scheduled grounds. The Iranian squad will depart Tehran on Monday for a training camp in Turkey before moving to their US base in Tucson, Arizona, in early June.

The Iranian team is set to begin their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, followed by matches against Belgium and Egypt in Group G.

Source: Al Jazeera