TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) – Iran’s soccer team arrived in Mexico Sunday morning to train for the World Cup, followed by three group games in the United States later this month.
Ehsan Haisafi was the first player off the plane marked for German charter airline USC, which arrived around 5:05 a.m. Wearing a white T-shirt and blue blazer, he led his team through a brief security check by Mexican officials and a dog before boarding the bus.
The bus briefly stopped at the entrance to the Tijuana airport, where about 20 Iranian fans waved flags.
The team’s participation in the World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, is complicated by the following reasons: iran war. Because of previous visa processing problems, Iran moved its training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico. border with california.
The team is training in the Turkish city of Antalya. He flew directly to Mexico by private jet from the Mediterranean city’s airport.
Some of their inner circle reportedly do not yet have a US visaIranian state television reported on Saturday. Among them are Iranian Football Federation Secretary-General Hedayat Mombeini and Vice-President Mehdi Mohammad Nabi.
Iran will play its first two games in Inglewood, Calif., on June 15 against New Zealand and six days later against Belgium, before heading to Seattle to play Egypt on June 26. Iran and the United States could meet in the round of 32 on July 3 in Arlington, Texas, if both teams finish second in their groups.
In March, US President Donald Trump Iran is depressed He said he did not think it was “appropriate” for him to participate in the tournament and expressed concern for the “life and safety” of the players. The next day, the Iranian national team pushed backstates that “no one can be excluded” from the play.
Iran completed the team That includes 17 home-based players whose club has not played since February because of the war. Star forward Sardar Azmoun was reportedly sacked in March over social media posts that angered Iranian authorities during the war.
Iran’s sports minister said in March that it was “impossible” for the team to participate in the World Cup, but the country’s soccer federation announced in May that it was proceeding with the formation of a team. federation He claimed that Visas will be granted to all players and staff, including those who have served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
