Iranian soccer chief ‘denied entry into Canada’ for Fifa event weeks before World Cup

SportFootballIranian soccer chief ‘denied entry into Canada’ for Fifa event weeks before World CupIranian soccer chief, Mehdi Taj, was reportedly denied entry into Canada for a Fifa event in Vancouver this weekAp Correspondent Thursday 30 April 2026 09:00 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"CF1:2967721To1","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/iran-soccer-mehdi-taj-canada-denied-entry-fifa-vancouver-b2967858.html","title":"Iranian soccer chief ‘denied entry into Canada’ for Fifa event weeks before World Cup"}}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-44400","index":0}Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj and Fifa president Gianni Infantino in Tehran in 2018 (AFP/Getty)Inside Sport newsletter: Get an expert guide to the biggest moments shaping the world of sportGet our free Inside Sport newsletterGet our free Inside Sport newsletterEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Inside_Sport_CDP","regTitle":"Inside Sport","subscriptionGroup":"inside_sport","subscriptionGroupId":"9cec95c5-a973-40ac-9b05-03d636c07853","type":"sport","pathPrefix":["/sport","/f1"],"associatedAuthors":["Lawrence Ostlere","Kieran Jackson"],"title":"Inside Sport newsletter: Get an expert guide to the biggest moments shaping the world of sport","mobileTitle":"Get our free Inside Sport newsletter","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/InsideSport1_1.png","newsletterKey":"receiveInsideSportNews","regSourceSection":"Football","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"},"isClimate":false}Iranian soccer officials were reportedly denied entry into Canada ahead of the Fifa C...