Iran says staff blocked from entering US after players given World Cup visas
US officials said visas had been issued to players and "necessary support staff" on Friday, 10 days before Iran's opening fixture in Los Angeles on 15 June.It also said Iran would not be allowed to "abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences".Iran's embassy in Turkey accused the US of "politically biased interference in sport" by denying further visas to a "large portion of the managerial and executive staff" and "technical advisers".A statement described the US announcement as a "whitewash", adding: "You have now escalated the deliberate and discriminatory treatment against Iran's national football team to its highest level."Iranian embassy officials called on Fifa, football's world governing body, to intervene. Iranian state-linked media said the head of the football federation and his deputy were among those were denied entry to the US. The 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, begins on 11 June, with Iran securing their place by finishing top of their qualification group in March 2025, almost a year before war broke out.It will be the first iteration of the competition to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with. Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers Iran's football delegation would not be allowed to include individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards - a powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces.Several players in the Iranian squad have completed mandatory military service with the group. Iran are also due to play Belgium in California and Egypt in Seattle in their other two group games. Additional reporting from Bernd Debusmann Jr.
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