The United States will not ease travel restrictions on Iranian teams for their World Cup matches in Los Angeles and Seattle, a top tournament official from the co-hosting nation has confirmed, despite the Iranian team saying it will file a complaint with FIFA.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Games Task Force, told Reuters on Saturday that the United States would continue to evaluate travel arrangements for the Iranian team, but for now original plans would remain in place.
Iran were frustrated by the restrictions, which meant they could only travel to the venue within 24 hours after the match and had to immediately return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, after the match, with coach Amir Galenoei suggesting Iran were “the most subdued team in the entire World Cup”.
The Iranian team left the United States just hours after the final whistle blew in last week’s World Cup opener against New Zealand.
The Group G match ended around 8pm local time (3pm Japan time) and Iran returned to their base camp in Mexico within hours, but the team did not have a day to recuperate in a hotel, prompting criticism of the US’ handling of visas.
Coach Galenoei said the team planned to spend the night in California to maximize the normal recovery process after the opener.
The United States faced further backlash after Iranian winger Mehdi Torabi’s entry visa expired after the first game. Team officials confirmed Tuesday afternoon that they have secured a new multi-entry visa that will allow them to travel to the United States for upcoming games.
The US State Department said: “This issue has been resolved.”
Similar travel protocols will apply for Iran’s match against Belgium on Sunday.
The Iranian team was scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles on Saturday evening, about 24 hours before the game’s kickoff time.
“The situation is dynamic.”
But Giuliani said the situation was fluid and that he would discuss what steps to take ahead of Friday’s game between Iran and Egypt in Seattle.
“The situation is dynamic,” Giuliani said in Houston. “We have a plan now. Tomorrow afternoon (after the game against Belgium) we will take a 27-minute flight back to Tijuana.
“We’ll see how Game 2 goes and then we’ll talk about how Game 3 goes in Seattle the next day.”
Giuliani defended the measures in place, saying that changing the team’s training base from Tucson to Tijuana before the tournament reduced travel time for Iran.
“I think moving from Tucson to Tijuana was a good thing for everyone involved. It certainly reduces the travel time to Los Angeles,” he said.
“Their flight is an hour shorter than the flight from Tucson, and we are pleased with how the first game played out in Los Angeles.”
“I just want to point out the fact that all the players have received visas. All the coaches have received visas. Some team officials have not received visas because we have seen derogatory information about them. This is the balance we are talking about.”
Giuliani said the goal has always been to protect the interests of the United States and international World Cup visitors.
“We want to make sure that we have this great soccer tournament where we welcome people and enjoy the World Cup. At the same time, we want to make sure that we not only protect the American people, but we also protect all the international visitors that come here,” he said.
He said there were no confirmed threats to the tournament, but officials remained vigilant.
“What I can tell you is that since the beginning of this year, the activity of our intelligence services has tripled in this regard,” he said. “We discuss it hourly. But there is no credible threat at this time.”
Giuliani is satisfied with the opening 10 days of the World Cup.
“Things are going according to plan,” he said. “It was really nice to see some great play on the pitch. That seems to be the majority of the conversation, but it was great.”
