Iranian delegation quits Canada after Toronto airport immigration row en route to FIFA Congress | OneFootball

Two leaders of the Iranian Football Federation due at Thursday's FIFA Congress in Vancouver cut short their Canada trip after an incident with immigration police at Toronto airport. They cancelled their attendance on Wednesday.

According to L'Équipe, the federation said president Mehdi Taj and the general secretary arrived with official visas but, after what it described as insulting behaviour by immigration officers and an insult to a highly regarded branch of Iran's armed forces, took the first available flight back to Türkiye. The same statement added that FIFA officials had expressed deep regret.

In 2024, Canada designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, as a terrorist organisation, and on Wednesday reiterated that the group has no place in the country. Taj is a former member of the movement founded in 1979. He was also unable to obtain a visa in December for the World Cup draw in Washington.

The episode comes with the World Cup due to start on 11 June and run until 19 July across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Iran are scheduled to play all three group G matches in the United States, opening on 16 June against New Zealand, then facing Belgium and Egypt.

Source: L'Équipe