VANCOUVER, British Columbia \u2014 Iranian soccer officials were turned back by Canadian authorities en route to this week\u2019s FIFA Congress and will miss the annual meeting, according to Canada\u2019s foreign minister and multiple reports.<\/p>\n
It is at least the second time Iranian representatives have been denied entry into North America ahead of the 2026 World Cup, and raises further questions about the extent of their participation in the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said that \u201cfor sure\u201d Iran will play its matches as scheduled in Los Angeles and Seattle; and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated last week<\/a> that players will be allowed into the country.<\/p>\n But \u201cthe problem with Iran,\u201d Rubio said, \u201cwould be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC\u201d \u2014 or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Iranian regime\u2019s most powerful military and security force.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the problem that seemingly arose this week in Canada. Among the officials with alleged ties to the IRGC is the Iranian soccer federation\u2019s president, Mehdi Taj. The news outlet Iran International reported<\/a> that Taj flew to Toronto on a Temporary Resident Permit, a special authorization that would allow him to enter Canada. But he was then sent back, rather than being allowed to fly to Vancouver for FIFA events, according to Iran International<\/a> and Tasnim, an Iranian state-affiliated news agency.<\/p>\n Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand seemed to confirm the reports Wednesday. \u201cMy understanding is that there is a revocation of the permission,\u201d Anand said.<\/p>\n The exact circumstances of the U-turn were murky, though, and Iranian state media cited \u201cinappropriate behavior of immigration officials\u201d at Toronto\u2019s Pearson Airport.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Canadian government\u2019s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department said that they \u201ccannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws,\u201d but told The Athletic in a Wednesday statement that \u201cthe government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country.\u201d<\/p>\n Both the U.S. and Canada, like the European Union and other countries, have designated the IRGC a terrorist organization.<\/p>\n