Thomas Meunier is not at the center of this travel dispute, but the United States has kept Iran on its original World Cup schedule for Belgium and Seattle. Iran’s players will still have to move into the United States within 24 hours of fixtures and head back to Tijuana, Mexico, after each game.
Andrew Giuliani Holds the Line
Andrew Giuliani said the plan remains unchanged for Iran’s match against Belgium on Sunday and that the team will not be allowed to stay longer for its group games in the United States. He said Iran was due to arrive in Los Angeles on Saturday evening, about 24 hours before kickoff, then leave directly after the match.
“The situation is dynamic,” Giuliani said in Houston. He also said, “We have a plan right now. Tomorrow afternoon [after the match against Belgium], they will take the 27-minute flight back to Tijuana.”
Mehdi Torabi Visa Issue
The most immediate roster problem centered on Mehdi Torabi. His entry visa expired after Iran’s first game last week, when the group match against New Zealand ended at about 8pm local time and the delegation left the United States hours after the final whistle.
Team officials said on Tuesday afternoon that Torabi had been secured a new, multiple-entry visa for future matches. The US Department of State said, “This issue has been resolved.” That cleared one player, but it did not change the larger travel rule that still governs the rest of the delegation.
Iran’s Next Move in Seattle
Giuliani said the White House Task Force will discuss what happens after the Belgium match and how Iran’s third game against Egypt in Seattle should work. He said, “We will see how it goes for match two, and then there will be discussions the day after in terms of what it looks like for match three in Seattle.”
He defended the reduced-travel setup by saying, “The shift from Tucson to Tijuana, I think, was good for everybody involved. Certainly it reduces their travel time to Los Angeles too,” and added, “Their flight is an hour shorter than it would be from Tucson.”
Giuliani also said, “And we’re happy with the way that things went for match one in Los Angeles.” He said all players have received visas, all the coaches have received visas, and that some team officials have not received visas because of derogatory information. Amir Ghalenoei, meanwhile, called Iran “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup,” leaving the team to deal with a travel rule that still puts every trip and overnight stay under the same clock.
