FIFA gives Iran a deadline after the country was stopped from joining a congress meeting
FIFA is planning to meet with a group from Iran to talk about the upcoming World Cup. Iran has already qualified for the tournament, but it’s not clear if they will take part because of the ongoing conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces in the Middle East.
Since the conflict started in February, FIFA, Iranian officials, and the US government have been in regular talks. Iran is set to play all three of their matches—in the US—against New Zealand, Egypt, and Belgium. They asked FIFA if they could move their games to Mexico, one of the co-hosts, but FIFA said no.
Despite everything, FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, is sure Iran will play. At a FIFA meeting earlier this week, he said, “Of course, Iran will play in the United States of America. We need to bring people together.”
This got a response from then-US President Donald Trump, who said, “If Gianni said it, I’m OK.” When asked what would happen if Iran won the World Cup, Trump joked, “If they win, we’ll have to worry about that. But let them play. Gianni is a great guy, and they probably have a good team.”
Even though Infantino and Trump seem welcoming, Iranian officials missed an important FIFA meeting with 211 member countries. Reports say Mehdi Taj, head of the Iranian Football Federation, was stopped at the border because of his connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is seen as a terrorist group in Canada.
Still, a report says Iran will send a team to FIFA’s headquarters in Switzerland in May to discuss if they will join the World Cup. FIFA general secretary Mattias Grafström said Iran needs to come for talks by May 20.
Taj told Iranian media on Friday, “We will soon have a meeting with FIFA.” The World Cup will start on June 11, with Mexico playing South Africa in the first match.