By Paul Joseph
Donald Trump has said Iran will be “welcome” to take part in this summer’s FIFA World Cup despite the ongoing conflict involving the country, according to Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA.
Infantino said he met the US president on Tuesday to discuss preparations for the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and is scheduled to begin on 11 June.
Posting about the meeting on Instagram, Infantino said the two leaders also discussed the escalating situation in Iran and the uncertainty surrounding the country’s participation in the tournament.
“During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino said.
He added that global sporting events such as the World Cup have a unique role in bringing people together during times of political tension.
“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever,” Infantino wrote. “I sincerely thank the president of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that football unites the world.”
Iran’s participation in the tournament has been under scrutiny following recent military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets earlier this month.
The attacks reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, significantly escalating tensions in the region.
In response, Iran launched missiles and drones toward Israel and several Gulf states that host US military bases, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The escalation has raised concerns over whether Iran’s national football team will be able to travel and compete during the tournament.
Despite the tensions, Iran are currently scheduled to play three group-stage matches in the United States.
They are set to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles on 15 June and 21 June respectively. Their final group match is against Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.
However, Trump last week appeared less concerned about whether Iran ultimately takes part, telling the news outlet Politico: “I really don’t care” if the country plays in the tournament.
The conflict has also raised anxiety within Iran’s football community.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, was quoted as saying that the recent attacks had cast doubt over the country’s sporting future in the short term.
“What is certain is that after these attacks, it’s hard to look at the World Cup with hope,” he said.
Meanwhile, developments involving Iran’s women’s national team have also drawn international attention.
The government of Australia granted humanitarian visas to six members of Iran’s women’s football team amid concerns about their safety.
According to Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, a total of seven individuals were initially granted asylum. However, one of the women later decided to withdraw her request and return to Iran.
The rest of the Iranian players left Australia earlier this week following the team’s elimination from the AFC Asian Cup.
The situation leaves uncertainty over how geopolitical tensions could affect Iran’s involvement in one of the world’s biggest sporting tournaments just months before kickoff.
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