The Department of Homeland Security is changing the guidelines for Iran’s national soccer team ahead of its third World Cup match on Friday to accommodate extra time afforded to other countries in the tournament, a department spokesperson told NBC News.
Subscribe to read this story ad-free
Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.
The shift comes as the Iranian soccer federation said it planned to lodge an official complaint with FIFA, the governing body for the World Cup, over its treatment in the U.S. so far.
The team will now be allowed to travel to Seattle, Washington, two days before their game, allowing for an extra day beyond the 24-hour window given to Team Melli for its first two games. But the team will still be asked to depart for its home base in Tijuana, Mexico, after the match wraps up.
“Ahead of the match in Seattle on June 26, the Iranian team will be allowed to come in match day minus two, so two days before the match. They’ll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match,” a DHS spokesperson said.
“Again, the President wants to make sure that we’re talking about what actually happens on the pitch,” the statement continued. “A lot of that is making sure that things are safe and secure, not just around the stadiums, but around base camps and training sites.”
Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House FIFA Task Force, hinted at the possibility in recent days, saying there were active discussions about changing the policy.
The Iranian team was originally slated to train at a facility in Tucson, Arizona, before its base camp was abruptly moved to Tijuana, Mexico, in late May.
That means the team has shuttled to and from games in less time than in other countries, and they’ve had to depart the U.S. after each of their first two matches.
The team had previously complained about unfair treatment in the tournament so far, in which the other 47 teams have been able to travel to matches earlier and stay afterward for recovery time if they prefer. The Iranian team coach said his players were “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup.”
Iran tied both of its first two matches in Los Angeles and could advance with a victory over Egypt on Friday in Seattle.
Iran’s inclusion in the World Cup was decided before the U.S. attacked on February 28.
All of this comes on the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, which launched in late February. The president and his administration have this week been touting peace talks to end the conflict, including the latest that Iran has “fully and completely agreed” to nuclear inspections long into the future, Trump said Tuesday.
The Middle Eastern country’s nuclear capabilities were the crux of the February attack, as the U.S. attempts to curb Iran’s stockpile of weapons.
The war has spiked gas prices, caused Trump’s favorability to fall, and has introduced more fighting between Lebanon and Israel. It has also, for the better part of the conflict, blocked the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the opening of which is a key point in Trump’s peace plan.