🚨 World Cup: Iran accuses USA of cutting its ticket allocation | OneFootball

Another controversy for the World Cup.

Just days before the start of the World Cup, controversies are mounting on American soil. A day after Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, despite being accredited by FIFA, was denied entry to the United States, Iran is now in turn denouncing an action by the U.S.

In an official statement, it said it was no longer able to make tickets available to Iranian supporters. Yet FIFA rules stipulate that around 8% of the seats for each match are allocated to the federations involved, which can then sell or distribute them to their fans.

The Iranian federation claims that this quota was unexpectedly taken away from it. It also points the finger directly at the United States, stating that "less than three days before kickoff (of the competition), the United States is once again preventing Iranian supporters from attending the national team’s group-stage matches." According to the federation, this decision amounts to an unjustified restriction targeting Iranian fans.

This development could prevent many supporters from following their team in the stadiums. As a reminder, Iran’s presence at the World Cup has regularly been the subject of debate, while the conditions for players and staff members to enter U.S. territory remain sensitive because of the conflict between the two countries.

In Group G, Iran is set to face New Zealand on June 16 in Los Angeles, then Belgium on June 21 in the same city, before wrapping up the group stage against Egypt on June 27 in Seattle.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

📸 ONER SAN - AFP or licensors