Canada Says Barring Iran From FIFA Congress ‘Unintentional’
Gianni Infantino said Thursday the team would play at the World Cup.
The soccer world is descending on Vancouver this week for the annual FIFA Congress with representatives from each of the 211 national federations expected to attend ahead of this summer’s World Cup. The biggest storyline of the gathering thus far, however, is who is not there. Iranian soccer officials including federation president Mehdi Taj were denied entry into Canada on Tuesday.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Wednesday that the situation was “unintentional. ” Iran was not present during roll call on Thursday morning. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Thursday —again—that “of course” Iran will play at the World Cup and in the U.
S. this summer. The Iranian officials missed the Asian Football Confederation Congress also held in Vancouver this week.
The Canadian government’s immigration department has not commented on the specific official’s cases, though it pointed to the fact that the U. S. and Canada have designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and banned its members from entering.