The White House has defended its handling of Iran’s visa restrictions during the World Cup, with top official Andrew Giuliani saying the team’s decision to base themselves in Tijuana, Mexico, instead of Tucson was mutually beneficial.

Visa Restrictions

The Iranian Football Federation had negotiated at the last minute to move the team’s base camp from Arizona to Mexico, due in part to uncertainty over whether they would be granted visas to enter the U.S.

Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, said the cross-border logistics worked smoothly for all parties despite Iran’s complaints during the group stage and after they were knocked out of the tournament.

Giuliani added that the decision also made sure nobody with connections to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) entered the country using the World Cup as an excuse.

Travel Arrangements

The U.S. awarded visas to all of Iran’s players just 10 days before their first match, but several support staff members were denied entry, including key managerial and administrative members, according to Iran’s football federation.

Initially, Iran’s squad were only allowed to enter the U.S. a day before matches, prompting coach Amir Ghalenoei to say they were the most oppressed team at the World Cup.

However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the team would still be required to leave the day the match ended.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.