The US is easing regulations The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday that it would allow teams into the country two days before their next game.
Teams will also be required to leave after Friday’s game in Seattle, a department spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation confirmed the team’s departure. Base camp in Tijuana, Mexico Off to Seattle on Wednesday.
“This was planned on our part,” Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told The Associated Press. “We would see how the first two movements went and if things went well, we would extend them an extra day to account for the extra travel time.”
The policy change was first reported by NBC News, which read: Officials from both countries negotiate .
Iranian representatives have complained about the travel restrictions placed on their team and the challenges they have faced since the outbreak of war. Iran had initially sought to move their group stage matches to Mexico, where they have diplomatic ties. The team’s base camp moved from Tucson, Arizona to Tijuana. Several team officials and support staff were banned from traveling to the United States with the team.
For the first two games in Los Angeles, the team was not allowed to travel until the day before, something Iranian coach Amir Galenoei repeatedly said would put his team at a disadvantage. The team had been on the field for less than 24 hours before Sunday’s noon game. “Right now we need to recover more than anything,” Galenoei said through an interpreter after the 0-0 draw with Belgium. “The situation was very difficult for us.”
it’s not It is rare for the team to travel This is in line with FIFA regulations, which state: “Each team shall travel from its base camp to the match venue on the day before the match day (MD‑1) and, in exceptional cases, MD‑2, and return to its team base camp after the match (MD/MD+1).”
But Iran wanted more time to acclimate to the host city and recover after the game, especially the 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometer) journey to Seattle. The team is scheduled to train at the University of Washington on Thursday.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh, a player on the Iranian national team, said on Sunday: “We are not asking for much. We only ask for the same procedure as all 47 other teams.” “I hope we can bring all the parties involved and work together.”
The Iranian team also said it experienced difficulties entering and exiting the United States during each of its 127-mile (204-kilometer) flights between Tijuana and Los Angeles. Team captain Mehdi Taremi said the normally short journey took five hours the day before the first match against New Zealand.
Hours before Sunday’s game against Belgium, Markwayne Mullin of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that the Iranians “tried to co-opt someone yesterday” with direct ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. In a statement, the football federation vociferously rejected the claims, calling them a “complete and undeniable lie”.
It is unclear whether Iran’s next opponent, Egypt, will also be allowed to arrive in Seattle two days early. After Sunday’s 3-1 win over New Zealand in Vancouver, Egypt requested a direct flight to Seattle. FIFA rejected the request, citing a lack of security resources to respond to a last-minute request. Egypt returned to base camp in Spokane, Washington, a 45-minute flight from Seattle.
The Egyptian national team did not respond to requests for comment.
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AP Sports Writer John Marshall contributed reporting. AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
