Tickets for Iran fans revoked, says federation

Iran's allocation of fan tickets for the group stage of the World Cup has been revoked just days before the start of the tournament, says the country's football federation.

The World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, begins on Thursday, with Iran scheduled to play New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June - both in Los Angeles - before facing Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

Iran's governing body says Fifa regulations state each federation involved in the World Cup receives 8% of the tickets for each of their matches, to distribute to supporters.

It added that it had already begun selling tickets but can no longer provide them to fans, some of whom have already made travel arrangements.

"Depriving Iranian supporters of access to their lawful and official allocation of tickets is an action contrary to the spirit of governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries," the FFIRI statement said.

"This development raises serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations in the organisation of the world's biggest football event."

The FFIRI also called on Fifa "to uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations".

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