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05/23 15:37 CDT Iran's soccer federation says team's World Cup base camp has
been moved to Mexico from the US
Iran's soccer federation says team's World Cup base camp has been moved to
Mexico from the US
By DAVID BRANDT
AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) --- The president of the governing body of Iranian soccer said
Saturday the nation's World Cup training base has been moved to Mexico from the
United States after getting approval from FIFA.
Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation, announced the decision
Saturday in a statement issued by the federation's media relations official.
FIFA has not confirmed the move.
Iran had been scheduled to train in Tucson, Arizona, but a move has been a
possibility because of uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East and
security concerns. Officials at Tucson's Kino Sports Complex had no comment.
The federation says the team will now be based in Tijuana, Mexico, just south
of San Diego. This year's World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19 and will be
co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
"All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be
approved FIFA," Taj said in his statement. "Fortunately, following the requests
we submitted and the meetings we held with FIFA and World Cup officials in
Istanbul, as well as the webinar meeting we had yesterday in the Tehran with
the respected FIFA secretary general, our request to change the team's base
from the United States to Mexico was approved."
Iran plays Group G games in Inglewood, California, against New Zealand on June
15 and Belgium six days later, then faces Egypt on June 26 in Seattle. The
federation said Tijuana's relatively close proximity to Inglewood, a suburb of
Los Angeles, will benefit the team and the new location "includes all training
facilities, gym, private restaurant and everything else the team needs."
Team Melli is appearing in its fourth straight World Cup and seventh overall.
It has never advanced past the first round.
Iran's federation said moving the base camp will resolve potential visa issues
since the team will enter the U.S. through Mexico. The president said that the
team "may even be able to travel to and from Mexico using Iran Air flights."
Teams use base camps for training ahead of and after matches.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
