Forcing Team Melli to enter, exit US on match day ‘unbelievable, disastrous': Former player

By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

An Iranian football coach and former international player has condemned the politicization of sport by the US government, citing visa obstacles and logistical problems faced by members of Team Melli.

Speaking to the Press TV website days ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Farzad Ashoubi, a former Iranian international footballer who now coaches a domestic club, described visa restrictions that would force Iran’s national team to fly into the United States, play, and depart all within the same day as “unbelievable and disastrous.”

He said the measures raise serious questions about FIFA’s ability to ensure equal conditions for all countries taking part in the biggest sporting event.

Ashoubi said FIFA has "really outdone itself, describing the planning as a "disaster.”

He added that the conditions under which Iran’s national team must compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup are both “absurd and fundamentally unjust.”

On Saturday, Iran's ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, confirmed that the visas issued to Iranian players carry a same-day entry and exit restriction.

“We can enter in the morning, and we must leave the same day,” the envoy told reporters.

For Ashoubi, a former Team Melli player, the implications are significant.

“Can a team really take a three-hour flight on match day, step onto the pitch, and be expected to perform?” he asked. “We absolutely must be allowed to spend the night in the match city beforehand and face match day with calm and confidence.”

The visa conditions compound an already difficult situation for the Iranian team. The United States, co-host of the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico, has denied entry to a significant number of Iran’s managerial and administrative staff.

 

Among those reportedly refused visas are team manager Mehdi Mohammadnabi, federation secretary general Hedayat Mombeini, and the heads of Iran’s media, analysis, and international relations departments.

Federation president Mehdi Taj is also said to have been denied entry.

In a sharply worded statement on Saturday, Iran’s football federation described the denials as “a clear violation of international sports regulations” and said Washington had created “a discriminatory and unequal environment” through what it called “targeted behavior.”

The federation added that the move amounted to “interference of politics in sports in the worst possible way.”

Ashoubi noted that the absence of key staff could impact the team, stressing that each member of a support unit carries responsibilities essential to operations.

He added that their absence leaves those duties unfulfilled, disrupting the logistical and organizational structure that underpins competitive performance.

But it is the visa travel restriction that drew his sharpest rebuke.

“This is a catastrophe,” he told the Press TV website. “This level of weakness from FIFA is unbelievable. These are unfair conditions being imposed on the team.”

FIFA's failure to resolve the situation is an institutional failing, not merely a diplomatic one.

“FIFA is an international body — the decision-maker and overseer of world football,” he said. “It has no right to act selectively. Conditions must be identical for all teams at the World Cup. What is happening undermines the spirit of sport and sporting justice.”

Iran relocated its World Cup base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, partly to limit time spent on US soil.

FIFA regulations require a team’s head coach to hold a press conference at the match venue on the eve of each game, a rule that now appears to clash with the same-day visa conditions.

Iran is scheduled to open its campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before facing Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle, all three matches on US soil.

The controversy has unfolded in the shadow of broader tensions triggered by the unprovoked war against Iran. The joint US-Israeli aggression against Iran disrupted domestic football competitions and forced the national team to prepare in Turkey and Mexico.

Iran's football federation head Taj, whose own visa was reportedly denied, has insisted that all qualified countries are entitled to equal treatment.

“We have qualified for the World Cup, and the best facilities must be provided to us.”

Ashoubi is hoping those in charge take note and act quickly. “I cannot accept this level of injustice,” he said. “I hope the organizers correct this situation soon.”