Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Monday, June 29 he was “so glad” Iran was eliminated from the World Cup, while Iran’s team and U.S. officials traded complaints over visas, travel timing, and treatment during the tournament.
When Iran’s World Cup team failed to reach the knockout rounds, Markwayne Mullin didn’t just note the result. He celebrated it.
Speaking Monday. June 29. the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security said he was “so glad” Iran had been eliminated from the tournament. after the team missed the final eight. Team Melli was knocked out when Algeria and Austria played to a 3-3 tie. giving Les Fennecs the last of the eight spots for third-place teams.
“I’m just glad they’re done and not coming back,” Mullin said. “I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas. … I might have sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.”
For Iran’s squad, the loss wasn’t the only thing leaving a bitter taste. Coach Amir Ghalenoei and multiple players had complained repeatedly about how the United States government handled their travel and visas during the World Cup amid political turmoil between the two countries.
Team Melli had originally planned to set up its base camp in Tucson, Arizona. At the eleventh hour, the plan changed: the team was forced to move to Tijuana, Mexico, because of restrictions imposed by the U.S. government.
Those restrictions hit broader than the players. Several members of Iran’s delegation, including the soccer federation, the president, and other officials, were denied visas. The same fate was reported for family members and fans.
Iran appealed directly to FIFA leadership as well. After the team’s first game, FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited the Iranian team in its locker room. Forward Mehdi Taremi described the message as encouraging. saying Infantino told them it was “just the beginning. ” while also stressing that “the group stage finishes tomorrow. ” after Iran’s final group-stage game—a draw with Egypt on Friday. June 26.
The travel disputes continued as the matches approached. Mullin said U.S. officials told the Iranians they could come to the United States five days before the tournament began, or June 6. But most teams arrived at their base camps two weeks before the tournament started. and Iran moved its base to Tijuana accordingly.
Even after that adjustment, Iran says it faced limits tied to the specific match schedule. With all three group-stage games in the United States, the team asked permission to arrive two days ahead of time. Instead, it was only allowed to arrive 24 hours in advance for the first two matches.
For those early games, the team was made to leave the United States immediately after each contest. Iran arrived in Los Angeles for its first two matches less than two days at a time. Restrictions eased before the third game, in Seattle. For that matchup, Iran arrived two days before.
Midway through the friction. White House World Cup task force leader Andrew Giuliani appeared to shrink the significance of the complaint. He downplayed Iran’s objections about arrivals and departures. saying it was no different than what NFL teams do after their games. He also pointed to what many World Cup teams. including the United States men’s national team. are doing. but added that the key difference was that those teams made their own travel choices while Iran was told when it could arrive and leave.
Iran’s players responded that the timeline was not comparable. Midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi said after Iran arrived less than 16 hours before its second group-stage game that “You cannot deny that our situation has (not) been the same as all the other teams.”
Mullin also defended not issuing visas to Iran’s delegation, saying the denied individuals had ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The United States and several other nations have designated the IGRC as a terrorist organization, and Mullin said the same during the World Cup dispute.
But he did not offer proof of those ties.
He framed the visa confrontation and Iran’s elimination as an endpoint. “There was no one. NO ONE. not a single team we had issues with like we did with Iran. ” Mullin said. “So, once again, I’ve talked about them enough. They’re gone. They’re out of the tournament. We do not have to deal with them anymore.”.
DHS Markwayne Mullin Iran World Cup Team Melli visas Department of Homeland Security FIFA Gianni Infantino Saeid Ezatolahi Andrew Giuliani Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
So glad they’re done and not coming back… uh that feels super petty for a DHS guy? Like why are they acting like it’s a WWE rivalry.
Wait I thought Iran was gonna be in the knockouts? I’m confused how they got knocked out by a 3-3 tie?? Also the visa thing is wild, like who even decides that for sports.
Right because “pull their visas” sounds like punishment for losing, not a security thing. But also maybe Mullin meant it like “glad they won’t be here anymore” which is still weird phrasing.
This is why you can’t trust government people, they’re always doing extra stuff. If they moved from Tucson to Tijuana that’s like… literally right there but still denied?? And then FIFA shows up and suddenly everyone’s mad again. I don’t even follow World Cup like that but this sounds like politics interfering with visas.