As the national football association announced on Tuesday, the United States has withdrawn the tickets allocated to Iran for the group stage matches at short notice. This incident is the latest in a series of bureaucratic disputes between the US and Iran surrounding the World Cup in recent days and months.
Getty ImagesAccording to a statement from the Iranian Football Federation, the measure was intended to "prevent Iranian fans from attending matches". The Federation noted that, under FIFA rules, it had been allocated eight per cent of the tickets for each of its own matches. Iran had already begun selling its allocation for the group matches against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt—all hosted in the US—when the allocation was suddenly withdrawn.
"In an unexpected move, however, these allocations have been withdrawn, and under the current circumstances, the Federation is unable to provide the national team's fans with a single ticket," the statement said. The federation described this move as "contrary to the spirit of international competitions and the principle of equality among participating nations".
War with the US: Iran moves its World Cup base to Mexico
Neither FIFA nor the US organisers have commented publicly on Iran's allegations. The Iranian World Cup delegation had already faced a visa row, with the players entering the US at short notice while 15 officials were turned away. Because of ongoing tensions between the two countries, the Iranian squad had earlier shifted its US base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico.
Iran are scheduled to open their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on 15 June, before facing Belgium in the same city on 21 June. They will then conclude their Group G fixtures against Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.
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