FIFA has revoked the ticket allocation for Iran fans at their three World Cup games in the United States this summer, the country’s soccer federation has claimed.
Each federation for the 48 teams taking part in the tournament is entitled to receive and distribute eight percent of stadium capacity for every game, adding up to several thousands of tickets.
Yet just days before Iran plays its opening match – on June 15 at the Los Angeles Rams’ 70,000-seat stadium in Inglewood against New Zealand – its federation claimed in a statement reported by semi-official state media on Tuesday that it was now unable to provide any tickets to its supporters.
The claim adds to the turmoil between Iranian soccer, FIFA and tournament co-host the US, which began military attacks on Iran in February.
FIFA has total authority over ticketing operations at the World Cup, yet the Iranian soccer body suggested ‘the United States has now taken steps to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums.’
‘This incident raises serious questions about the influence of non-sporting and political considerations on the organization of the world’s biggest football event,’ the Iranian soccer federation said.
Iran claims FIFA has revoked tickets for their supporters at three World Cup games in the US
FIFA, spearheaded by president Gianni Infantino (pictured), is entitled to distribute eight percent of the stadium capacity to each federation in every World Cup game
Iran’s team is now based in the Mexican border city of Tijuana instead of its pre-war plan to train in Tucson, Arizona. It is the the nation’s seventh appearance at a men’s World Cup.
Some federation officials also have been denied visas to enter the US, where Iran also plays Belgium in Inglewood on June 21 and then Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
Federations of World Cup teams typically sell their ticket allocation to the most loyal fans who attend games at home and away.
‘However, in an unexpected move, the allocation granted to Iran’s football federation has been withdrawn, and under the current circumstances the federation is unable to offer even a single ticket to national team supporters,’ the federation said.
Iran residents were subject to a travel ban by the US government since last year and were unlikely to get entry visas for the World Cup. It was unclear how many tickets in their allocation were sold since the tournament draw was made in December to the country’s diaspora including in the US.
If Iranian tickets have been revoked, FIFA would have just days to sell about 5,600 tickets for the Iran-New Zealand game on Monday. The FIFA sales site on Tuesday showed rows of field-level seats available at $450 each though numbered in dozens rather than hundreds.
Still, FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated in 2017 – when US soccer officials were preparing a co-hosting bid with Canada and Mexico they won the following year – that fans must have access to the tournament.
‘It’s obvious when it comes to FIFA competitions as well (that) any team, including the supporters and the officials of that team, who would qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup,’ Infantino said nine years ago. ‘That is obvious.’
