Iran says fans’ tickets for World Cup games in U.S. have been revoked
FIFA has canceled the allocation of tickets to Iran fans for Iran’s three World Cup group matches, the country’s football federation said on Tuesday.
Each federation of the 48 teams participating in the World Cup typically receives and distributes 9% of stadium capacity. However, with Iran scheduled to start play against New Zealand in Inglewood on June 15, the federation said in a statement that it would not be able to provide any tickets to its fans.
Iran will also play against Belgium in Inglewood on June 21 and Egypt in Seattle on June 26. The capacity of SoFi Stadium (called Los Angeles Stadium during the World Cup due to a FIFA sponsorship ban) is 70,240, meaning Iran will lose 6,322 seats in each of the first two matches.
6,210 people are nine percent of Seattle Stadium’s 69,000-seat capacity. When you add the ticket shares of the three scheduled matches, approximately 18,854 tickets are canceled.
Others are also encountering problems. In an unrelated move, FIFA has confirmed that a Somali referee scheduled to officiate at the World Cup has been denied entry to the United States and will not participate in the tournament. After Omar Artan arrived at Miami International Airport from Istanbul, he was banned from entering the country by US Customs and Border Protection.
“During the transaction, the passenger was subject to additional inspection, which is a routine part of CBP’s inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility,” CBP said in a statement. “Following an investigation, the passenger, a FIFA World Cup referee, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was refused entry.”
Although exceptions can be made, Somalia is on the US list of prohibited countries for immigration. Artan is considered one of the best referees in Africa, having officiated in the Somali national football league championship and the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Despite the circumstances, I am in a positive mood and focused on the next challenges in my refereeing career,” Artan said in a statement. he said. “I want to thank FIFA” [the African federation] “For all their support and I promise to keep my refereeing level high while I concentrate on the future.”
The Iranian federation, however, has more pressing concerns; It says it has already started ticket sales but can no longer provide tickets to fans, many of whom have booked flights and accommodation in the United States.
“Depriving Iranian fans of access to legal and official ticket allocation is an act contrary to the spirit of international competitions and the principle of equality between participating countries,” the federation said in a statement. “This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political concerns in the organization of the world’s biggest football event.”
Iranian players arrived in Tijuana wearing uniforms on Sunday gold lapel pins on their jackets. The badges commemorate the victims of a missile attack on a primary school on February 28, at the beginning of their country’s war.
The pins simply said “#168”; It was a copy of the hashtag stating the number of people killed in a daylight attack in Minab, southern Iran. Most of the victims were girls Shajareh goes to Tayyebeh Primary School.
The Iranian delegation changed their training plans and moved from Tucson to Tijuana two weeks ago. FIFA did not give any reason for the change, but there were delays in processing US visas for some Iranian players and other delegation members with alleged links to the Revolutionary Guard.
Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force on the World Cup. he told ESPN “If you’re in the country legally, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“We want people to come here and enjoy the World Cup and at the same time we want to be able to keep the country safe.”
