Iran soccer officials to meet FIFA in Zurich and plan for World Cup games in US

Canada arrival issue

Taj and two more Iran officials had issues this week on landing in Toronto en route to Vancouver where they were expected at the FIFA annual meeting. Taj, who is also a vice president of Asia’s soccer body, detailed on Friday the problems with Canadian authorities though he said he was not deported. “In Canada they asked us, ‘Are you members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps?’ We told them, ‘In Iran, 90 million of us are IRGC,’” Taj was reported as saying in Iranian media. After being detained for two hours at Toronto airport, the Iran soccer delegation which had arrived from Istanbul was told it could continue the journey. “There was some discussion and he said, ‘It’s up to you,’ and then we decided as a group to go back” to Istanbul, Taj said. “They did not officially deport us, there is nothing labeled as deportation in our file, but in practice it was like that.” Taj had a valid visa to enter Canada after he was denied one by the U.S. to attend the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5. At that event, Infantino presented Trump with the first FIFA Peace Prize.

Iran's World Cup games

Iran has World Cup group games against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt, respectively, from June 15-26. The first two games are at the NFL stadium of the Los Angeles Rams and the third is at the Seattle Seahawks’ stadium. If Iran advances as runner-up in its group, the team could face the United States in the round of 32 at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium on July 3. The Iranian soccer league shut down after the war started and is not due to resume before the World Cup. The squad played two warmup games in March at a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, where it could return this month to prepare for the World Cup that opens on June 11. \\\_ AP soccer: