Iranian soccer officials were reportedly denied entry into Canada ahead of the Fifa Congress meeting in Vancouver, just weeks before the start of the World Cup.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand stated on Wednesday that it was her “understanding” that permission for their entry had been revoked.
Ms Anand appeared to confirm a report from Tasnim, an Iranian news agency associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), though she described the denial as “unintentional”.
Tasnim had reported that Mehdi Taj, president of the Iranian Football Federation, along with two other Iranian officials, were refused entry due to “inappropriate behavior of immigration officials” at Toronto’s Pearson 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,” Ms Anand said, seemingly referring to Immigration Minister Lena Diab.
However, the online news outlet Iran International first reported that Mr Taj, who had been granted a visa on Monday, was removed from Canada late on Tuesday evening due to his alleged connections to the IRGC, which is listed as a terrorist entity in Canada.
An emailed response from Ms Diab’s office stated that all visa applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis 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, Ms Diab’s press secretary.
The Fifa Congress gathering precedes a World Cup co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Representatives from each of the 211 federations in soccer’s governing body were expected to attend the event, which commenced on Thursday.
Fifa did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Iran’s status for the event.
