Delegations from AFC member nations attend the 36th AFC Annual Congress at the Vancouver Convention Center in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Tuesday. (Reuters-Yonhap)
Delegations from AFC member nations attend the 36th AFC Annual Congress at the Vancouver Convention Center in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Tuesday. (Reuters-Yonhap)

Senior officials from the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran returned home after allegedly being subjected to unfair treatment during immigration procedures at an airport in Toronto while traveling to attend the FIFA Congress, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported.

The Iranian federation said its delegation — including president Mehdi Taj, secretary-general Hedayat Mombeini, and deputy secretary-general Hamed Momeni — had obtained official visas and arrived in Toronto. However, it claimed local immigration officers behaved inappropriately during entry screening and made insulting remarks about Iran's highest military authority.

The delegation ultimately refused entry into Canada and boarded a return flight home via Turkey.

Following the incident, FIFA officials immediately contacted the Iranian delegation and expressed deep regret, the report said.

The Canadian government said federation president Taj was denied entry because of his past service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard.

According to Agence France-Presse, Canadian immigration authorities stated that individuals linked to the Revolutionary Guard are not permitted to enter Canada.

Reuters also reported that Canada's public safety minister, while declining to comment on a specific case, said figures associated with the Revolutionary Guard are not welcome in Canada.

(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)


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