Editorial: The Iranian team earned its place. Let it compete in the World Cup.
The Iranian men’s soccer team has qualified for the World Cup. Their first match is against New Zealand, scheduled for June 15 in Inglewood, California.
If they can get there.
The Iranian men’s team has not yet been issued visas to enter the United States.
“We have no problem with the athletes or their support staff, but what we’re not going to allow is for them to embed in their delegation a bunch of people that we know have nothing to do with athletics and have ties to the IRGC or things of that nature,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday.
This is an unprecedented situation, as a host nation has never been at war with another World Cup participant.
By all means, vet the team and protect the U.S. against risk. Prevent, as Rubio describes, those unaffiliated with the team from “embedding” with the program. Weed out risk. Toughen up security. The last thing any of us wants is a catastrophic terror event.
Iran, for its part, must cooperate fully with security screening and refrain from using its World Cup delegation as a vehicle for officials or operatives who have no legitimate role in the tournament.
Still, the Iranian men’s team is not here, even as other teams have arrived in the U.S. to prepare to compete. It would be a terrible shame if Iran’s elite athletes are prevented from participating in the World Cup for which they qualified.
Military service is mandatory for almost all young men in Iran upon turning 18, and that affects the national team. For example, team captain Mehdi Taremi, a star striker, is among those who have completed their mandatory service — with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Therein lies the biggest pushback, as the IRGC is classified by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.
It doesn’t help that Mehdi Taj, who has long served as president of Iran’s soccer federation, is a former IRGC commander. Canada in April denied entry to Taj ahead of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver.
Nobody denies the IRGC is linked to a long list of vile actions the world over. But a young man who completed mandatory military service years ago is not the same thing as an active IRGC commander, intelligence operative or terrorist.
These are difficult times, and while Americans largely feel insulated from the horrors of war playing out abroad, peace in the homeland should not be taken for granted.
And yet nothing publicly reported suggests the Iranian men’s soccer roster itself poses a threat.
Our hope is that these young men, who have worked for so long to achieve this dream, don’t have to watch it evaporate. They need to arrive here by June 14 if they hope to compete.
We watched in admiration as the Iranian women’s soccer team stood in subtle defiance of their country’s authoritarian government during the women’s Asian Cup in Australia in March, witnessing the incredible bravery it took to stand up to a regime that tends to address acts of protest with violence. Many observers interpreted the team’s decision not to sing the national anthem before its opening match as an act of quiet dissent, and advocates warned that some players could face repercussions upon returning home.
We stood with the Iranian footballers then, and we now support the men’s right to play in a tournament for which they qualified.
“All of us, we’re always wishing peace for all of the people all around the world,” player Saeid Ezatolahi told the Associated Press. “I hope that these things will end soon and all of the people around the world can be in peace and live together.”
Don’t we all.
The United States can protect its security without abandoning the spirit of international competition. Vet every visa application. Exclude anyone who presents a genuine threat. But if these players qualify, clear the security checks and meet the requirements, they should be allowed to take the field.
Leaders wage war, not athletes.
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