#sports-diplomacy

#sports-diplomacy

Iran's football team still lacks US visas and is not competing in the World Cup on equal terms because of its difficulty in training ahead of the tournament, Tehran's ambassador to Mexico said on Thursday. Abolfazl Pasandideh visited the northwestern Mexican border city of Tijuana, where Iranians have relocated their training camp. They were originally planned to be based in Tucson in the US state of Arizona.

Iran is moving its World Cup training base from Tucson, Ariz., to Tijuana, the president of the country's soccer federation said Saturday, removing one of the final hurdles to its participation in this summer's tournament.

CAF's appeals board on Tuesday ruled that Senegal forfeited the final by leaving the field of play without the referee's authorisation, and it awarded Morocco a default 3-0 win. The game was delayed for 14 minutes as most of the Senegalese players and staff returned to their dressing room, while Senegal fans battled stewards behind one of the goals in protest against a controversial penalty call for Morocco after Senegal had a goal ruled out.

We don't want to just show up for the game, we want to be able to compete, but we are not being given the opportunity to be at our best. Mount Pleasant sporting director Paul Christie expressed frustration about the visa denials limiting the team's competitive capability for their Champions Cup debut.

A handful of diverse athletes a pole-vaulter, sprinter, shot-putter, rugby player, and former Olympian in skeleton will compete as Israel's first bobsled team during this year's Milan Cortina Winter Games, unlikely ambassadors of their diplomatically isolated nation. Most of these guys had never touched a sled before this season. Their leader, AJ Edelman, is believed to be the first Orthodox Jew to ever compete in a Winter Games. Another founding member of the team, Ward Farwaseh, will likely to be the first Druze Olympian.

Iran is to be represented at Friday's draw for the 2026 World Cup. The country's FA had previously said it would boycott the draw after several members of its planned delegation were denied visas for the United States. Iran is now expected to have a delegation at Friday's World Cup draw in Washington D.C. after all. Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donjamali told state news agency Irna on Thursday that head coach Amir Ghalenoei would attend.

I always meet other football presidents before we play games. I'm very much into dialogue, and the more difficult it gets, the more important is that we meet, even if it's difficult, Klaveness said on Friday. Israel's FA criticised the ticket money move at the time, saying: It would be nice if some of the amount were directed to try to find a condemnation by the Norwegian FA of the October 7 massacre that claimed the lives of hundreds of Israeli citizens and children.