OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand stated on Wednesday that she understands Iranian soccer officials were denied entry into Canada ahead of the FIFA Congress meeting in Vancouver, which takes place just weeks before the start of the World Cup.
Anand seemed to corroborate a report from Tasnim, an Iranian news agency linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but noted that the entry denial was “unintentional.”
Tasnim reported that Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, along with two other officials, were barred from entry due to “inappropriate behavior by immigration officials” at Toronto’s Pearson Airport.
“It’s not my direct involvement, but my understanding is that there was a revocation of their entry permissions. It was unintentional, but I will defer to the minister to provide further details,” Anand said, seemingly referring to Immigration Minister Lena Diab.
The online news outlet Iran International was the first to report that Taj had received a visa on Monday but was subsequently expelled from Canada late Tuesday night due to his ties with the IRGC, which is designated as a terrorist entity in Canada.
An email from Diab’s office indicated that all visa applications are assessed individually by trained officials.
“While we are unable to discuss specific cases due to privacy considerations, the government has consistently stated: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and do not belong in our country,” said Taous Ait, Diab’s press secretary.
The FIFA Congress is taking place just weeks before the start of a World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with representatives from each of the 211 federations in soccer’s governing body expected to attend the event starting Thursday.
The Iranian representatives were absent from the largest formal meeting of Asian soccer leaders with Gianni Infantino the previous Tuesday. There was no discussion at the Asian Football Confederation Congress regarding Iran’s participation in the tournament or the possibility of relocating the team’s games due to geopolitical tensions.
Concerns had been raised prior to Thursday’s meetings regarding potential visa complications affecting the Iranian delegation’s ability to attend the FIFA Congress in Vancouver and the World Cup commencing on June 11.
Iran is set to kick off its World Cup campaign in Group G on June 15 against New Zealand in Inglewood, California, followed by matches against Egypt and Belgium.
FIFA has not yet provided a comment regarding the status of Iran for the event.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.