Canada denies entry to Iranian football officials ahead of FIFA Congress

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday, April 29, that it was her “understanding” that Iranian football officials were denied entry into Canada ahead of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, just weeks before the start of the World Cup.

Anand appeared to confirm a report by Tasnim News Agency, though she described the denial as “unintentional.”

According to Tasnim, Mehdi Taj, head of the Iran Football Federation, along with two other Iranian officials, was denied entry due to the “inappropriate behaviour of immigration officials” at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

“It’s not my personal lead, but my understanding is that there is a revocation of the permission. It was unintentional, but I’ll leave it to the minister to indicate,” Anand said, apparently referring to Immigration Minister Lena Diab.

The outlet Iran International reported earlier that Taj had been granted a visa on Monday but was removed from Canada late Tuesday evening due to his alleged connections to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is designated as a terrorist entity in Canada.

In an emailed statement, Diab’s office said that all visa applications are reviewed individually by trained officials.

“While we cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws, the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country,” said Taous Ait.

The FIFA Congress is taking place just weeks before the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Representatives from all 211 member federations of FIFA are expected to attend the gathering, which begins Thursday, April 30.

By Tamilla Hasanova