Iran says US withdrew World Cup tickets allocated for supporters

TEHRAN: Iran's football federation said on Tuesday that the United States had cancelled the ticket allocation meant for Iranian supporters for the team's World Cup group-stage matches, accusing one of the tournament co-hosts of hindering fan access amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

In a statement, the federation said Fifa rules entitle each participating federation to 8% of tickets for every match so they can be distributed to their own supporters through official channels. Iran had already started selling tickets for its group games after receiving that quota, and some fans had already made travel and related arrangements.

The federation said the allocation was later withdrawn, leaving it unable to provide any tickets to supporters for the national team's three group matches, all of which are scheduled to be played in the United States.

It described the move as being against the spirit of international sport and the principle of equal treatment for participating countries, and urged Fifa and tournament organisers to ensure neutral and fair implementation of established regulations so Iranian fans could attend the matches.

The statement also linked the dispute to broader administrative obstacles it says Iran has faced ahead of the tournament. Tehran has already complained that some 15 administrative and management staff members in its delegation have been unable to enter the United States because of visa problems.

Iran had also shifted its World Cup training base to Tijuana on the Mexican border instead of Tucson, Arizona, which had originally been planned, after rising tensions. The United States had also declined visas for some support staff.

Iran are due to begin their campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15, before another match in the same city against Belgium on June 21. Their final group-stage fixture is against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Neither Fifa nor US organisers had publicly responded to the Iranian federation's accusation at the time.