Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand stated on Wednesday that it was her "understanding" that Iranian soccer officials were denied entry into Canada ahead of the FIFA Congress meeting in Vancouver, just weeks before the World Cup is set to begin. The minister appeared to confirm a report from Tasnim, an Iranian news agency linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but described the denial as "unintentional."
Details of the Incident
According to Tasnim, Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj, along with two other Iranian officials, were refused entry due to "inappropriate behavior of immigration officials" at Toronto's Pearson Airport. The online news outlet Iran International first reported that Taj had been granted a visa on Monday but was removed from Canada late Tuesday evening due to his connections to the IRGC, which is listed as a terrorist entity in Canada.
Official Responses
Anand remarked, "It's not my personal lead, but my understanding is that there is a revocation of the permission. It was unintentional, but I'll leave it to the minister to indicate," seemingly referring to Immigration Minister Lena Diab. In an emailed response, Diab's office stated that all visa applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by trained officials. Taous Ait, Diab's press secretary, added, "While we cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws, the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country."
Context of the FIFA Congress
The FIFA Congress gathering occurs weeks before the start of the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Representatives from each of the 211 federations within soccer's governing body were expected to attend the event, which begins Thursday. FIFA has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding Iran's status for the event.
