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Iranian FA chief Mehdi Taj demanded that the U.S. respect Iran’s military institutions if the team is to participate in World Cup games 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 person affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps would be allowed across 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, for which we qualified, and our host is FIFA – not Mr. Trump or America,” Taj said Tuesday.
“If they accept hosting us, then they must also accept that they must not insult our military institutions in any way. Because if they do, then naturally it could create the same kind of situation that happened in Canada, where there was a possibility we might have to return.”
FIFA PRESIDENT GIANNI INFANTINO SAYS IRAN WILL ‘FOR SURE’ PLAY IN WORLD CUP DESPITE CONFLICT INVOLVING US
Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran President Mehdi Taj 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 referenced a trip he took to the FIFA Congress in Vancouver last week. Canada, like the U.S., designates the IRGC as a terrorist organization, and Taj’s visa was canceled mid-flight, and he was forced to depart the country.
“We need a guarantee there, for our trip, that they have no right to insult the symbols of our system — especially the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” he said in Tehran on Tuesday.
“This is something they must pay serious attention to. If there is such a guarantee and the responsibility is clearly assumed, then an incident like what happened in Canada will not happen again.”
TRUMP ENVOY ASKS FIFA TO REPLACE IRAN WITH ITALY IN 2026 WORLD CUP: REPORT
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says no person affiliated with the IRGC will be allowed on American soil. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
An envoy for President Donald Trump reportedly asked FIFA in April to replace Iran with Italy in the 2026 World Cup.
United States special envoy Paolo Zampolli suggested the idea to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“I confirm I have suggested to Trump and Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup. I’m an Italian native, and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri at a U.S.-hosted tournament,” Zampolli told the Financial Times. “With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify inclusion.”
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The Financial Times reported that the U.S. made the suggestion in part to help mend relations between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Reuters contributed to this report.