Posted on 04/30/2026 7:27:04 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, has repeated his belief that Iran will take part in the World Cup this summer despite the federation failing to attend congress in Vancouver.
A three-man delegation representing the Iranian Football Federation flew to Toronto on Tuesday, but one of their number was denied entry to Canada, with the two others declining to attend congress in an apparent act of protest.
Iranian media reported earlier this week that the IFF president, Mehdi Taj, was turned away at Toronto’s Pearson airport despite having been given permission to travel. Fifa sources described the matter as a “regrettable situation” but insisted that Iran had been invited to attend congress and that responsibility for deciding who enters the country lay with the Canadian authorities.
Following a roll call of the 210 Fifa members who were in attendance, the general secretary, Mattias Grafström, did not mention Iran’s absence. Iran’s participation has been the subject of uncertainty since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on the Islamic Republic in February, but Infantino insisted they will fulfil fixtures against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt.
“Let me start at the outset by confirming straight away, for those who maybe want to say something else or write something else, that of course Iran will be participating at the Fifa World Cup 2026,” Infantino said. “And of course, Iran will play in the United States of America. The reason for that is simple, because we have to unite. We have to bring people together.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Terrorist alert!
Like Hell they will........
Not if I get a vote.
Iran needs to be replaced with Italy
And just what is wrong with a Zoom meeting for their gathering? A zoom meeting would save tons of fuel. Of course, this is why the Olympics need so many rubbers. This is FAFO of a whole new level. The games are just a nuisance.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.