Iran has hinted that it will participate in this summer’s football World Cup but has required a series of guarantees from FIFA and the tournament’s hosts as tensions rise over the team’s participation.
The Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) stated that Iran would compete in the tournament “without any retreat from our beliefs, culture, and convictions,” but emphasized that the hosts “must take our concerns into account.”
The demands come after FFIRI president Mehdi Taj was denied admission into Canada before last month’s FIFA Congress.
Taj revealed that Iran has presented FIFA with 10 conditions for participation in the World Cup, which starts on June 11 in the US, Mexico, and Canada.
The demands include ensuring visas for all players, coaches, and officials traveling with the team, including those who served in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is classified as a terrorist organization.
Iran is also looking for assurances over the treatment of the national team, such as respect for the Iranian flag and national anthem, as well as increased security at airports, hotels, and stadiums throughout the event.
Some of the requests will undoubtedly be simpler for FIFA to impact than others.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already declared that Iranian footballers will be welcome at the event but has warned that anyone with ties to the IRGC may face visa limitations.
On February 28, Israel and the United States conducted a wide range of strikes against Iran. Iran replied by attacking Israel and US-allied Gulf states. Fighting has since been largely halted by a tenuous ceasefire.
Some of the Iranian Federation’s other requests may be difficult to enforce in practice.
According to reports, Iranian officials have requested that journalists refrain from asking questions beyond “technical football matters.”
