After the news that has emerged in recent days, especially the reports about visas not yet granted to Iran’s players and delegation, the situation now seems to have become clearer. The Reuters news agency and many other media outlets with global reach have reported on a meeting between Mattias Grafstrom, FIFA secretary general, and the president of the Tehran Football Federation, Mehdi Taj. On the sidelines of this meeting, which took place in Istanbul, Grafstrom said some highly significant words: “We had very constructive discussions. We are working closely with them and we look forward to welcoming them to the World Cup.”
Taj also confirmed the positive outcome of the meeting: according to Reuters, the president of the Iranian Federation said that “Iran’s arguments, all 10 points we had raised, and that they offered solutions for each of them. I hope our national team can take part in the World Cup without any problems and achieve excellent results.” The dialogue between the parties is expected to continue in the coming days, also because Grafstrom did not add any further details, remaining vague even on the issue of the visas that have not yet been granted: “We discussed all the relevant matters, but now we will continue talking to resolve all the issues.”
From a logistical point of view, Iran’s next steps will be their departure — scheduled for Monday, May 19 — for a training camp in Turkey, after which the national team will move to a sports complex in Tucson, Arizona, a couple of weeks before their opening match against New Zealand (June 15). Team Melli will then also face Belgium and Egypt in the group stage.