President of Iran Football Federation Mehdi Taj and Mayor of Tehran Alireza Zakani stand next to the FIFA World Cup Trophy during an unveiling ceremony in Tehran in September, 2022.WANA NEWS AGENCY/Reuters
Iranian soccer chief Mehdi Taj was denied entry to Canada ahead of the annual FIFA Congress in Vancouver.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Mr. Taj and other delegation members, including secretary-general Hedayat Mombeini and deputy Hamed Momeni, were turned back upon arrival at Toronto Pearson Airport late Tuesday night, despite holding valid visas. The group cited “inappropriate behaviour” by immigration officials, the outlet reported.
Mr. Taj had previously served as a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Canada listed as a terrorist entity in June, 2024.
On Monday, the news outlet Iran International, citing Canadian government sources, reported that Mr. Taj would have been inadmissible because of his IRGC affiliation, but that he was issued a Temporary Resident Permit under strict conditions, including mandatory check-ins during his stay.
A Temporary Resident Permit allows foreign nationals who are otherwise inadmissible to Canada to enter the country temporarily if there is a compelling reason.
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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) did not respond to specific questions sent by The Globe and Mail on Tuesday, including whether Mr. Taj was issued such a permit, what compelling reason was identified to permit entry, at what level of authority the permit was authorized and whether minister Lena Metlege Diab was involved in, or aware of, the decision.
On Wednesday, the federal department said in a statement that it could not comment on individual cases because of privacy laws, but that “the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are deemed inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country.”
Visa applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis by trained officers, said the statement, which was provided by communications adviser Matthew Krupovich.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Wednesday it was her understanding that the Iranian delegation’s permission to enter Canada was pulled.
“It’s not my personal lead, but my understanding is that there is a revocation of the permission,” she said on her way into Question Period.
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The Canada Border Services Agency, Public Safety Canada and Global Affairs Canada declined to comment and referred questions to IRCC. Iran’s soccer federation did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
FIFA has since contacted the Iranian delegation to express regret over the incident and indicated that FIFA president Gianni Infantino would arrange a meeting with them at the organization’s headquarters, Tasnim reported.
Senate Opposition Leader Leo Housakos said fundamental questions remained about Mr. Taj’s travel.
“Canadians deserve to know if and why a Temporary Resident Permit was issued to an individual with reported ties to the IRGC, and when that authorization was provided,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
“While we commend the vigilance of the front-line border services agents who reportedly denied him entry, the integrity of our national security should not rely upon a discretionary judgment call at the port of entry; the system should have precluded his arrival entirely.”
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The FIFA Congress convenes national soccer federations annually to vote on key issues and shape the sport’s future. FIFA had anticipated representatives from all 211 member associations to be at Thursday’s event in Vancouver.
Iran’s participation in this year’s World Cup – which takes place June 11 to July 19 in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico – has been thrown into question ever since the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran that began on Feb. 28, triggering retaliatory attacks by Tehran throughout the Middle East.
On Tuesday, Iranian soccer officials were absent from the Asian Football Confederation Congress in Vancouver because of visa issues.
And last December, Mr. Taj and other officials were denied U.S. visas to attend the World Cup draw in Washington.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran’s athletes were welcome in the U.S. but drew the line at officials with IRGC affiliations.
“The problem with Iran would be not their athletes; it would be some of the other people they would want to bring with them, some of whom have ties to the IRGC,” he told reporters April 23. “We may not be able to let them in, but not the athletes themselves.”
With reports from Reuters and The Canadian Press