Iran soccer officials denied entry to Canada for FIFA Congress before World Cup

Yahoo Sports3h ago11 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Iranian soccer officials, including FFIRI president Mehdi Taj, were denied entry to Canada for FIFA's annual meeting due to Taj's past affiliation with the IRGC, designated as a terrorist organization by Canada.

Key points

Iranian soccer officials were denied entry to Canada.
Mehdi Taj is the president of the Iranian Football Federation.
The denial was due to Taj's past with the IRGC.
Canada classifies the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
A Temporary Resident Permit was not enough for entry.

Mentioned in this story

Iranian Football FederationMehdi TajHedayat MombeiniHamed MomeniIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) president Mehdi Taj has been denied entry to Canada for FIFA's annual meeting, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency.

Per Tasnim, Taj landed in Toronto along with FFIRI secretary general Hedayat Mombeini and his deputy Hamed Momeni, but all three were sent back on the next available flight after "inappropriate behavior of immigration officials."

Iran International reported Taj had been granted a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) to enter the country, but was still denied entry because he had previously been a commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Canada designates as a terrorist organization.

A Canadian government statement provided to Iran International said IRGC officials are not allowed into Canada, without commenting on the individual case of Taj.

Meetings are being held in Vancouver all week, with the FIFA Congress set for Thursday, April 30.

USA TODAY Sports contacted FIFA and Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department for comment.

MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, New Jersey (hosting World Cup final)

Q&A

Why were Iranian soccer officials denied entry to Canada?

They were denied entry due to Mehdi Taj's previous role as a commander in the IRGC, which Canada classifies as a terrorist organization.

What is the IRGC and why is it significant in this context?

The IRGC, or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is a branch of Iran's armed forces, and its designation as a terrorist organization by Canada impacts the entry of its officials.

What was the response from the Canadian government regarding this incident?

The Canadian government stated that IRGC officials are not permitted entry into Canada but did not comment on the specific case of Mehdi Taj.

What is a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) and why was it not sufficient for Taj?

A Temporary Resident Permit allows entry to Canada for specific individuals, but Taj's previous IRGC affiliation led to his denial despite having a TRP.