Iran's football federation (FFIRI) said on Tuesday that its ticket allocation for the World Cup has been pulled just days before football's global showpiece kicks off, leaving supporters who had already made travel plans unable to attend their team's matches.
"This is despite the fact that many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had already made the necessary plans to attend the matches," the FFIRI added in a statement.
The World Cup begins on Thursday, with Iran playing their first two Group G games in Los Angeles, against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21, and then facing Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
In a statement, the Iranian federation said it had already begun ticket sales for the matches but could no longer provide tickets to fans.
"This is despite the fact that many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had already made the necessary plans to attend the matches," the FFIRI added in a statement.
FFIRI urges FIFA to adhere to "the principles of neutrality"
"Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries.
"This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organization of the world's biggest football event."
Each participating federation at the World Cup receives 8% of the tickets for each of its matches, which are allocated to fans according to its own criteria.
The FFIRI did not say who had made the decision to withhold the tickets but urged FIFA, soccer's governing body, to adhere to "the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations" and called on it to prevent off-field issues from casting a shadow over the tournament.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Iranian participation in World Cup in jeopardy as tensions with US, Israel rise
Iran's participation in the World Cup has been clouded by uncertainty since the US and Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February, triggering a regional conflict.
The FFIRI negotiated to move the team's base camp from Arizona to Mexico, due to uncertainty over whether they would be granted US visas and a growing feeling in Iran that the squad's presence in the US should be kept to a minimum.
After weeks of uncertainty, the US awarded visas to all the players last week, 10 days before their first match, but several members of staff did not receive them.
A US official told Reuters on Friday that the administration had issued "the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup."
FIFA said earlier on Tuesday that Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom had held a "positive discussion" with FFIRI President Mehdi Taj after the team arrived at their tournament base.
“With the team now in Mexico, FIFA will continue dialog and collaboration with the FFIRI to ensure the team and the delegation’s experience is a positive one," Grafstrom said in a statement.