Iran soccer body claims fans’ tickets for World Cup games in the U.S. have been revoked
The Iranian soccer federation claims FIFA has revoked its ticket allocation for fans at the team’s three World Cup games in the United States.
Adding more turmoil to a chaotic World Cup buildup for Iran, the national soccer federation claimed Tuesday that FIFA revoked the ticket allocation for fans at the team’s three group-stage games in the United States.
Each federation for the 48 World Cup teams taking part is entitled to receive and distribute 8% of stadium capacity for each of its games, adding up to several thousands of tickets per game.
Those allocations typically went on sale to each team’s most loyal fans soon after the tournament draw in December, when Iranians for five months already had been subject to a travel ban by the U.S. government.
Now, just days before Iran opens its World Cup in Inglewood, Calif. — on June 15 vs. New Zealand at the 70,000-seat stadium used by the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers — the federation claimed in a statement reported by semiofficial state media that it now was unable to provide tickets to its supporters.
The claim adds to the tensions among Iranian soccer, FIFA, and tournament cohost the United States, which began military attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. Some federation officials have been denied visas to enter the U.S.
FIFA has total authority over ticketing operations at the World Cup, yet the Iranian soccer body suggested “the United States has now taken steps to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums.”
“This incident raises serious questions about the influence of non-sporting and political considerations on the organization of the world’s biggest football event,” the Iranian soccer federation said.
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Iran, appearing in its seventh World Cup, also plays games June 21 in Inglewood and June 26 in Seattle.
FIFA said in a statement Tuesday it is “working closely with the IR Iran Football Federation to identify compliant solutions that maximize opportunities for Iranian supporters to attend matches.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and secretary-general Mattias Grafström promised logistical support in face-to-face meetings with Iranian soccer officials in Turkey in recent weeks.
Most of Iran’s 26-member squad has not had a competitive game since February because they play for clubs in the domestic league that was shut down by the war.
The team is based in the Mexican border city of Tijuana near San Diego instead of the original plan to train in Tucson, Ariz.
Denied admissions
Omar Artan, a referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the U.S. at Miami International Airport on Saturday is not the only person connected to World Cup teams stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The Iraqi team’s official photographer, Talal Salah, was detained and denied entry after arriving at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Friday as part of the country’s 53-member delegation.
“U.S. authorities asked for his phone; he gave it to them. After 12 hours’ detention, they decided to ban his entry,” said a member of the Iraqi soccer federation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein also was detained by U.S. immigration authorities for seven hours upon arrival before being released, another Iraqi soccer federation member said.
CBP confirmed in a statement that two people with the Iraqi national team were subject to “additional inspection” to verify their information or “determine admissibility.”
Artan, one of Africa’s top referees, was denied over “vetting concerns,” CBP said in a statement without giving details of those concerns. Artan was issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya that processed it.
The move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official permission to enter a World Cup host country is highly unusual. Artan was due to meet up with other World Cup referees at their training base in Miami.
Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Tuesday the referee was denied admittance for “very good reason” but also declined to go into details.
Contract deal in LA
Southern California stadium workers who threatened to strike for the U.S. men’s soccer team’s opening World Cup match on Thursday against Paraguay said Tuesday that they expect to stay on the job after reaching a tentative contract deal with higher wages and more labor protections.
Workers will vote Wednesday on whether to ratify the deal.
The union represents 2,000 bartenders, servers, cooks, and dishwashers at SoFi Stadium. The deal came after workers last week voted to authorize a strike as contract talks had stalled with the stadium’s food service provider, Legends Global.
Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.