IRANIAN OFFICIALS TO MISS FIFA CONGRESS OVER ALLEGED MISTREATMENT IN CANADA

Iran’s Mehdi Taj-led delegation turns back at Toronto airport due to ‘unacceptable behaviour of immigration officials’.

President of the Iranian Football Federation Mehdi Taj was leading the Iranian football delegation that travelled to Canada for the FIFA Congress [File: Atta Kenare/AFP]

An Iranian football federation delegation says it turned back at Toronto’s main airport this week, citing their treatment by Canadian immigration, and is set to miss a pre-World Cup FIFA gathering in Vancouver.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported on Wednesday that the delegation members, including federation President Mehdi Taj, Secretary-General Hedayat Mombeni and his deputy, Hamed Momeni, turned back ⁠⁠upon arrival at Toronto’s Pearson airport despite holding valid visas, citing what was described as the “unacceptable behaviour of immigration officials”.

The Iranian delegation was en route to Vancouver for Thursday’s FIFA Congress, which is meant to bring together representatives of all 211 member associations before the World Cup being cohosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico.

“While Mehdi Taj, president, Hedayat Mombeni, secretary-general, and Hamed Momeni, deputy secretary-general of the federation, had travelled to Toronto ⁠⁠with official visas to attend the FIFA Congress, they returned to Turkey on the first available flight due to the unacceptable behaviour of immigration officials at the airport and the insult to one of the most honourable organs of the Iranian nation’s armed forces,” the Iran football federation said in a statement.

In 2024, Canada listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, and statements from the Canadian government indicated that Taj was denied entry due to his alleged ties with the IRGC.

“While we cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws, the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country,” the Canadian government said in a statement.

"We have taken strong action to hold the IRGC to account and will continue to ‌‌do so, while protecting the safety of Canadians and upholding the integrity of our immigration system.”

However, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said it was her “understanding” that Iranian football officials were denied entry into the country but added that the denial was “unintentional”.

“It’s not my personal lead, but my understanding is that there is a revocation of the permission. It was unintentional, but I’ll leave it to the minister to indicate,” Anand said, apparently referring to Immigration Minister Lena Diab.

Canada’s Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said he could not speak about specific cases due to privacy legislation, but IRGC members were not welcome in Canada.

The incident that occurred on Tuesday underscores the practical and political obstacles surrounding Iran’s participation in the World Cup, the most politically sensitive item on FIFA’s agenda since the US and Israel launched a war on Iran in February.

Iran’s qualification has not removed hurdles tied to travel, visas and security in a tournament staged in three countries.

While FIFA has insisted fixtures will proceed as scheduled, the delegation’s withdrawal deepens doubts over whether Iranian players, officials and supporters will be able to move freely across borders during the tournament.

FIFA has since contacted the Iranian delegation to express regret over the incident and indicated that President Gianni Infantino ⁠⁠would arrange a meeting with them at the organisation’s headquarters, the Tasnim report added.

The FIFA Congress ⁠⁠is usually a routine gathering, but carries greater weight this year with the World Cup less than two months away and several ⁠⁠questions, including cost and Iran’s participation, still hanging over the first 48-team edition of the tournament.

The Iranian officials were also unable to attend Tuesday’s Asian Football Confederation congress, which was held in Vancouver.

- Reuters and The Associated Press

BRAZIL PICKED BY FIFA TO GET SOCCER'S WOMEN'S WORLD CUP, A FIRST FOR SOUTH AMERICA

AP Photo 

 BANGKOK (AP) — Brazil will host the 2027 Women’s World Cup after a vote of FIFA’s full membership chose the South American bid over a joint proposal from Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.

The FIFA Congress on Friday voted 119-78 for Brazil in the reduced field of two candidates to host the 2027 tournament after a joint bid by the United States and Mexico was pulled late last month, and South Africa withdrew its candidacy in November.

It will be the first time the global women's tournament, first played in 1991, is staged in South America .

Brazil was strongly favored to win since October when FIFA brokered deals for the men's World Cups of 2030 and 2034. It left South American neighbors Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay getting just one game each of the 104 in the 2030 tournament that will be mostly co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

AP Photo 

A key point for FIFA was clearing the way for its close ally Saudi Arabia to get the 2034 World Cup uncontested in a fast-track process. South American soccer body CONMEBOL's agreement to take a small part of the 2030 tournament removed it from the subsequent bidding.

The US-Mexico decision to opt out and focus on bidding for the 2031 World Cup — that decision is due next year — was another indicator of Brazil's expected win.

The Brazilian bid team hugged and celebrated on the podium after the result was announced, and described it as a victory for women's soccer, for their country and for South America.

“We are a South American country that achieved the victory for women’s soccer,” Brazil's soccer federation president Ednaldo Rodrigues said before reflecting on recent flooding that has devastated parts of the country. “After the things that impact all Brazilians — a catastrophe due to the climate change — our achievement today, the first Women’s World Cup in South America, will help strengthen us."

AP Photo 

It was the first time that all of FIFA’s member associations had the opportunity to weigh in on the host of the women’s tournament. Previously, it was decided by the FIFA Council, the governing body’s decision-making committee.

There were 207 of the 211 members eligible to vote in the electronic ballot which gave three options: Brazil, BNG or abstain.

Brazil was even more favored to win the contest after ranking higher in an evaluation report by a FIFA-appointed panel.

The next World Cup votes, to endorse the 2030 and 2034 hosts, will be on Dec. 11 in an online congress held remotely.

- LERPONG AMSA-NGIAM

FIFA TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE ON PALESTINIAN PROPOSAL TO SUSPEND ISRAEL FROM INTERNATIONAL SOCCER

 BANGKOK (AP) — Facing a Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel from international soccer because of the conflict with Hamas, FIFA bought time Friday by agreeing to seek legal advice before holding an extraordinary council meeting within two months.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino outlined the plan to 211 member federations after leaders of the Palestinian and Israel soccer bodies spoke at the governing body's annual congress in Bangkok.

“Now, due to the obvious sensitivity of these matters, FIFA will mandate as of now independent legal expertise to analyze and assess the three requests made by the Palestinian Football Association and ensure that the statutes and regulations of FIFA are applied in the correct way in order to ensure a fair and due process,” Infantino said.

"This legal assessment will have to allow for inputs and claims of both member associations. The results and the recommendations ... will be forwarded to the FIFA council.

“Due to the urgency of the situation, an extraordinary FIFA Council will be convened and will take place before July 20 to review the results of the legal assessment and to take the decisions that are appropriate.”

The Palestinian soccer federation has now spoken at a FIFA Congress at least five times since 2014 without making the progress it wants.

Palestinian soccer's issues with Israel in that decade have included travel restrictions on its players, the Israeli league including teams from West Bank settlements, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

In the past 10 years, FIFA under two different presidents has deferred a vote or decision, or created a working group to report back at a later meeting.

The Palestine Football Association proposal to 211 member federations called for “appropriate sanctions, with immediate effect, against Israeli teams" and was forecast in FIFA documents released last month.

The motion noted “international law violations committed by the Israeli occupation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza” and cited FIFA statutory commitments on human rights and against discrimination.

The Palestinian FA wrote that “all the football infrastructure in Gaza has been either destroyed, or seriously damaged, including the historic stadium of Al-Yarmuk.”

On Friday at the congress, Palestinian soccer's leader Jibril Rajoub said “the Palestinian people, including the Palestinian football family, are enduring an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.”

He said 193 footballers were among the thousands of Palestinians to die in the ongoing war which erupted Oct. 7 with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel.

More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures. About 80% of Gaza’s population have been driven from their homes.

Rajoub, who said he had been threatened because of his sanctions proposal, urged FIFA delegates not to delay the vote.

“The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs has made serious threats to imprison me if I do not withdraw this proposal, but no power in the world can stand in the way of truth,” Rajoub said.

But Infantino said the matter couldn't go to a full vote of the membership on Friday because it had to be dealt with by FIFA’s governing council.

“I do not want to divide our 211 member countries,” he said. “I have a responsibility as president to apply the statutes of FIFA and its regulations, whatever my personal conviction on these and other terrible matters around the world.”

He said at the FIFA council meeting on Wednesday, all 37 members unanimously agreed to condemn the acts of violence that have taken place and decided to send a strong message of solidarity.

“The FIFA Council also reiterated that football should not and should never become a hostage of politics and always remain ... a force of good uniting people rather than dividing,” Infantino said.

The meeting Friday included delegates from Russia, whose national and club teams have been suspended from international competitions since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The legal argument put by FIFA and UEFA was the refusal of other European teams to play Russians would cause chaos in competitions.

Israel has played in UEFA competitions as a member since 1994 and no European federation has refused to play its teams.

US AND MEXICO WITHDRAW BID FOR 2027 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP

 U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation have withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2027 Women's World Cup and will instead focus on securing the 2031 edition, the national governing bodies said on Monday.

The decision comes less than three weeks before the FIFA Congress chooses the hosts on May 17 and leaves Brazil and a joint bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands as the remaining candidates for the 2027 event.

"Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking – and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximise its impact across the globe," U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a joint statement.

Last November, South Africa also withdrew their bid to host the 2027 Women's World Cup and said they would instead focus on the 2031 tournament.

Australia and New Zealand held the 2023 finals, which Spain won. The U.S., Mexico and Canada will co-host the men's World Cup in 2026.

- Reuters