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Trump discourages Iranian soccer team from attending the World Cup, citing safety concerns
When you have success in life, uh, and you have success at whatever you do, there’s *** lot of planning and preparation, uh, that goes, goes with that, and at this moment in time we can’t do that. If, uh, the game goes ahead over in Mexico, we have, uh, you know, the difficulties of getting out of, uh, Baghdad. About 60% of my players play in Iraq, uh, all my backroom staff live in Iraq. Uh, medical staff live in Qatar and uh we’re having troubles getting our Mexican visas at this moment and my plan ***, uh, before we started all this was, uh, to have *** pre-camp in the US and, uh, to, to obviously adjust to the time difference, only *** small pre pre-camp, uh, to adjust to the time difference and obviously the weather and the conditions there, but uh that’s all been scrapped now, that’s, uh, that’s off because we can’t get out of Baghdad. I think. Uh, that, uh, you know, FIFA need to obviously make *** quick decision on this because it’s, it’s, uh, you know, *** bit unfair at this moment, uh, with what we would have to go through, but, you know, if, for example, that, uh, Surin Arme can still play Bolivia, if we can’t get there, and we could always play the winner just before the World Cup in, in America, and let us prepare properly, and, uh, do everything that’s required to, to be successful. It wouldn’t be fair if you could only get kind of *** B team to this game, right? Uh, that would not be *** satisfactory solution. What has FIFA’s engagement been like with you, are they, uh, are they receptive to your, your issues and concerns? Yeah, the communi communication with FIFA and the AFC has been very good with the president, Adnan. You know, all we can do is, I’ve gotta prepare that the game is on and we’re going. I would, uh, as I said, uh, for me. You know, the question, there’s *** couple of big questions. One is, is Iran going to go to the World Cup? Or if they’re not going to go to the World Cup, it would give FIFA time to make that decision. If we had that playoff game the week before the World Cup starts. Bolivia and Suriname can play, uh, in, in March, they’ve got no complications with flights or anything, they’re, they can get themselves there straight away. Um, and we could play the winner of those, of that game just before the World Cup starts. The winner stays to play the World Cup and the loser goes home. But, and that would also give FIFA the time to, uh, you know, deal with the Iran situation if they go or if they don’t go. But, uh, at this moment in time, I’m just focused on ourselves, uh, I’m focusing on the game going ahead, uh, to make sure that, uh, the players and everything’s ready, but as I said to you, Don, it’s, uh, Uh, the complications at this moment with the pre preparation is, is very difficult. Have FIFA told you when they’ll make *** decision on this? No, not at this moment, we’re just in communication. Uh, I’ve got great communication with the FIFA people and so does the organization. And uh it’s one step at *** time, one day at *** time, and it’s stressful, you know, *** lot of sleepless nights worrying about obviously getting that that planning right, but uh it’s very, very hard to do that when you’re, when the, the, the airspace that we’ve been told by, again, we’ve been told the airspace in Baghdad. Where so many of the players and staff is, will not be reopened till the first of April.
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President Donald Trump said he did not think it would be “appropriate” for the Iranian soccer team to attend this year’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, and cited safety concerns as a reason on Thursday while the countries remained embroiled in a war.”The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup,” Trump wrote on his social media site, “but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”Iranian leaders said earlier this week that it’s “not possible” for the country to participate in the World Cup.Trump’s message appears to depart somewhat from what the Republican president relayed Tuesday at the White House to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who later publicly said that Trump assured him the Iranian players and coaches would be welcome.A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations, had confirmed Trump’s message to Infantino about Iran’s participation.On Thursday, the White House did not immediately clarify what Trump meant by “their own life and safety,” such as whether he anticipated threats against them while in the United States after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb. 28.Iran, one of 48 teams in the tournament, is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 before finishing group play in Seattle against Egypt on June 26. The U.S. is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.Iran’s soccer federation has planned to take the team in June to a tournament base camp in Arizona, at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson.Since June, Iran has been subject to a travel ban into the U.S. as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. But athletes and coaches from the target nations are exempt, which means the Iranian team would be allowed to enter the U.S.But there are also likely fears from Iranian soccer players about playing in a tournament abroad where they could be feted by an anti-regime diaspora while their families face threats back home.The Iranian women’s soccer team, which arrived in Australia to play at its Asian Cup tournament before the U.S. and Israeli bombing attacks on Iran started, did not sing the Iranian national anthem before its first game. That was widely interpreted as a gesture of protest or an act of mourning. Several members of the team stayed in Australia on humanitarian visas afterward. At the 2022 men’s World Cup, played in Qatar, the Iranian team did not sing the anthem before a game against England and did not celebrate the two goals scored in a 6-2 loss. At that time, Iran was in turmoil several weeks after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for allegedly violating a strict Islamic dress code.FIFA’s own evaluation was “low risk” for World Cup safety and security plans proposed by the U.S., Canada and Mexico soccer federations, which are guaranteed by their governments. Trump has often taken credit for “winning” the World Cup hosting rights in 2018, when the three neighbors easily beat Morocco in a vote by FIFA member federations.”All parties have experience of hosting major sports events on a regular basis and established arrangements are in place for managing security and safety at stadiums and for high-profile individuals,” FIFA’s in-house inspection team wrote eight years ago.Iranian athletes who previously defied the Islamic regime have left the country to continue their careers. Iran’s first female athlete to win an Olympic medal, Kimia Alizadeh, a bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games in taekwondo, criticized wearing the mandatory hijab headscarf. She competed for the Olympic refugee team at Tokyo in 2021 and for Bulgaria at the 2024 Paris Olympics.Judoka Saeid Mollaei went into hiding in Germany after a dispute with Iranian team officials at the 2019 world championships. Mollaei, the defending champion, said he was ordered to lose a bout to avoid a potential gold medal match against an Israeli opponent. He got Mongolian citizenship and took silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.___Dunbar reported from Geneva.
President Donald Trump said he did not think it would be “appropriate” for the Iranian soccer team to attend this year’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, and cited safety concerns as a reason on Thursday while the countries remained embroiled in a war.
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to The World Cup,” Trump wrote on his social media site, “but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”
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Iranian leaders said earlier this week that it’s “not possible” for the country to participate in the World Cup.
Trump’s message appears to depart somewhat from what the Republican president relayed Tuesday at the White House to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who later publicly said that Trump assured him the Iranian players and coaches would be welcome.
A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss private conversations, had confirmed Trump’s message to Infantino about Iran’s participation.
On Thursday, the White House did not immediately clarify what Trump meant by “their own life and safety,” such as whether he anticipated threats against them while in the United States after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb. 28.
Iran, one of 48 teams in the tournament, is scheduled to play in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 before finishing group play in Seattle against Egypt on June 26. The U.S. is hosting the tournament with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Iran’s soccer federation has planned to take the team in June to a tournament base camp in Arizona, at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson.
Since June, Iran has been subject to a travel ban into the U.S. as part of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. But athletes and coaches from the target nations are exempt, which means the Iranian team would be allowed to enter the U.S.
But there are also likely fears from Iranian soccer players about playing in a tournament abroad where they could be feted by an anti-regime diaspora while their families face threats back home.
The Iranian women’s soccer team, which arrived in Australia to play at its Asian Cup tournament before the U.S. and Israeli bombing attacks on Iran started, did not sing the Iranian national anthem before its first game. That was widely interpreted as a gesture of protest or an act of mourning. Several members of the team stayed in Australia on humanitarian visas afterward.
At the 2022 men’s World Cup, played in Qatar, the Iranian team did not sing the anthem before a game against England and did not celebrate the two goals scored in a 6-2 loss. At that time, Iran was in turmoil several weeks after the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for allegedly violating a strict Islamic dress code.
FIFA’s own evaluation was “low risk” for World Cup safety and security plans proposed by the U.S., Canada and Mexico soccer federations, which are guaranteed by their governments. Trump has often taken credit for “winning” the World Cup hosting rights in 2018, when the three neighbors easily beat Morocco in a vote by FIFA member federations.
“All parties have experience of hosting major sports events on a regular basis and established arrangements are in place for managing security and safety at stadiums and for high-profile individuals,” FIFA’s in-house inspection team wrote eight years ago.
Iranian athletes who previously defied the Islamic regime have left the country to continue their careers.
Iran’s first female athlete to win an Olympic medal, Kimia Alizadeh, a bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games in taekwondo, criticized wearing the mandatory hijab headscarf. She competed for the Olympic refugee team at Tokyo in 2021 and for Bulgaria at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Judoka Saeid Mollaei went into hiding in Germany after a dispute with Iranian team officials at the 2019 world championships. Mollaei, the defending champion, said he was ordered to lose a bout to avoid a potential gold medal match against an Israeli opponent. He got Mongolian citizenship and took silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
___
Dunbar reported from Geneva.
