The US allowed the Iranian national team to arrive in the country two days before the next match
Kyiv • UNN
The US Department of Homeland Security allowed the Iranian football team to enter the country two days before the match against Egypt. The team must leave after Friday's match in Seattle.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has eased restrictions on the Iranian national team at the FIFA World Cup, allowing the team to enter the country two days before their next match against Egypt. This is reported by Euronews, according to UNN.
Details
The U.S. eases restrictions on the Iranian national team at the FIFA World Cup, allowing the team to enter the country two days before the next match
As a department spokesperson noted, the team will still have to leave after Friday's match in Seattle. The Iran Football Federation confirmed that after the notification of the easing of restrictions, the team will leave its base camp in Tijuana (Mexico) on Wednesday and head to Seattle.
This was planned on our part. We intended to analyze how the first two transfers went, and if everything went smoothly, we would extend the stay by one additional day given the longer travel time
The publication notes that the policy change was first reported by the U.S. media outlet NBC News. This comes amid negotiations between representatives of both countries on ending the war in Iran, which the U.S. started together with Israel on February 28.
The Iranian team complained about the travel restrictions imposed on the team and the difficulties it has faced since the start of the war. In March, Iran tried to move its group stage matches to Mexico, with which it has established diplomatic relations.
The request to move the base camp from Tucson (Arizona) to Tijuana was granted two weeks before the team's arrival. Several team management representatives and support staff members were banned from entering the U.S. with the team.
Regarding the first two matches, which took place near Los Angeles, the team was not allowed to travel there until the day before. Iran national team coach Amir Ghalenoei repeatedly stated that this restriction puts the team at a disadvantage, especially given that for Sunday's match, which was to take place in the afternoon, they had less than 24 hours to be on site.
In addition, the publication notes that it is currently unknown whether Iran's future opponent - Egypt - will also be allowed to arrive in Seattle two days early. After a 3-1 victory over New Zealand in Vancouver on Sunday, Egypt requested a direct flight to Seattle.
FIFA rejected this request, citing a lack of security resources to accommodate such a last-minute demand. Egypt returned to its base camp in Spokane, Washington, which is a 45-minute flight from Seattle.
Addendum
After two rounds in Group G, Iran is in second place. In the first match, the Iranians played a high-scoring draw with New Zealand - 2:2, and the second match against Belgium ended in a goalless draw.