The U.S. is easing its restrictions on allowing the squad to travel into the country two days before its next match, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.
The team will still be required to leave after Friday’s match in Seattle, a department spokesperson said. A spokesperson for the Iran Football Federation confirmed that the team will leave on Wednesday for Seattle.
鈥淭his was planned on our end,鈥� Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, told The Associated Press. 鈥淲e were going to look at how the first two movements went, and if they went smoothly, we would extend the extra day in light of the longer travel time.鈥�
The policy change was first reported by NBC 海角社区app and comes as over how to end .
Iran’s squad has complained about the travel restrictions levied on the team, and the challenges it has faced since the outbreak of war. Iran originally sought to move its group stage matches to Mexico, with whom it has diplomatic ties. The team鈥檚 base camp was relocated from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana. Several team officials and members of the support staff have been barred from traveling into the U.S. with the team.
For the first two matches, in Los Angeles, the team was not permitted to travel until the day before, which Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei repeatedly said put the team at a disadvantage. The team had less than 24 hours on the ground before its noon match Sunday. 鈥淩ight now we need recovery more than anything,鈥� Ghalenoei said through a translator after the 0-0 draw against Belgium. 鈥淭he conditions have been extremely hard for us.鈥�
It’s not a day before the match, and it’s in line with FIFA regulations, which state that 鈥渆ach team shall travel from its team base camp to the match venue one day before matchday (MD鈥�1) and in exceptional cases on MD鈥�2, and shall return to their team base camp after the match (on MD/MD+1).鈥�
But Iran had asked for more time to acclimate to host cities and recover after matches, especially for the 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometer) trip to Seattle. The team has scheduled a Thursday training at the University of Washington.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 ask for much. We just ask for the same procedure as for all the other 47 teams,鈥� Iran national team player Alireza Jahanbakhsh said Sunday. 鈥淗opefully we can bring everyone who is involved and help us with us.鈥�
The Iran team has also said it experienced difficulties entering and exiting the U.S. each time it made the 127-mile (204-kilometer) flight between Tijuana and Los Angeles. The typically short trip took five hours the day before its first match against New Zealand, team captain Mehdi Taremi said.
Hours before Sunday’s match against Belgium, U.S. Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin told Fox 海角社区app the Iranians had 鈥渢ried to get somebody in yesterday鈥� who had direct ties to Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guard. In a statement, the soccer federation vociferously pushed back, calling the claim 鈥渁n outright and undeniable lie.鈥�
It’s unclear whether Iran’s upcoming opponent, Egypt, will also be allowed to arrive in Seattle two days early. After its 3-1 victory against New Zealand in Vancouver Sunday, Egypt asked to fly directly to Seattle. FIFA denied that request, citing a lack of security resources to accommodate the last-minute demand. Egypt returned to its base camp in Spokane, Washington, a 45-minute flight from Seattle.
Egypt’s national team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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AP Sports Writer John Marshall contributed reporting. AP World Cup coverage:
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