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The head of the Iranian Federation, Mehdi Taj, demanded that the United States respect Iran’s military institutions if the team is to participate in World Cup matches scheduled in California and Seattle in the coming months.
Taj’s comments come after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that while the Iranian team would be allowed to compete on U.S. soil, no one affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps would be allowed to cross the U.S. border. Taj himself was a high-ranking member of the IRGC before joining Iran’s soccer program.
“We are going to the World Cup, which we qualified for, and our host is FIFA, not Mr. Trump or America,” Taj said on Tuesday.
“If they agree to welcome us, they must also agree not to insult our military institutions in any way. Because if they do that, it could naturally create the same kind of situation that happened in Canada, where it was possible that we would have to return.”
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Mehdi Taj, President of the Islamic Football Federation of Iran, during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between England and IR Iran at Khalifa International Stadium. (Photo by Harold Cunningham – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Taj’s comments were in reference to a trip he made to the FIFA Congress in Vancouver last week. Canada, like the United States, designates the IRGC as a terrorist organization, and Taj’s visa was canceled mid-flight, and he was forced to leave the country.
“We need a guarantee there, for our trip, that they do not have the right to insult the symbols of our system, especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” he said in Tehran on Tuesday.
“This is something they need to pay close attention to. If there is such a guarantee and responsibility is clearly assumed, then an incident like the one that happened in Canada will not happen again.”
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio said no one affiliated with the IRGC will be allowed on U.S. soil. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
An envoy from President Donald Trump reportedly asked FIFA in April to replace Iran with Italy at the 2026 World Cup.
U.S. special envoy Paolo Zampolli suggested the idea to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“I confirm that I suggested to Trump and Infantino that Italy replace Iran the World Cup. I’m of Italian descent and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri in a tournament hosted by the United States,” Zampolli told the Financial Times. “With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify their inclusion.”
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The Financial Times reported that the United States made the suggestion in part to help improve relations between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
