The United States Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday that it is easing travel restrictions on Iran's World Cup team, permitting the squad to enter the country two days before their next match against Egypt. The decision comes after complaints from the Iranian team about the challenges posed by the restrictions since the outbreak of war.
New travel arrangement for Iran's squad
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the team will still be required to leave after Friday's match in Seattle. The Iran Football Federation spokesperson said the team will depart their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on Wednesday for Seattle. Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told The Associated Press, “This was planned on our end. We were going to look at how the first two movements went, and if they went smoothly, we would extend the extra day in light of the longer travel time.”
Previous restrictions and complaints
For the first two matches in Los Angeles, Iran's squad was not permitted to travel until the day before the game. The team's base camp was relocated from Tucson, Arizona, to Mexico. Additionally, several team officials and support staff members were barred from traveling into the US with the team. While traveling a day before a match is common and aligns with FIFA regulations, Iran had requested more time to acclimate to host cities and recover after matches.
Player's plea for equal treatment
After Sunday's draw against Belgium, national team player Alireza Jahanbakhsh expressed hope that the team could travel to Seattle as soon as possible to adapt to the venue for their match against Egypt. “We don’t ask for much. We just ask for the same procedure as for all the other 47 teams,” he said. “Hopefully we can bring everyone who is involved and help us with us.”
