By admin 
TUCSON, AZ (AP/AZFamily) — Iran’s soccer team says it has moved its World Cup base camp from Tucson to Mexico after getting approval from FIFA, the president of the Iran Football Federation said Saturday in a statement.
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FIFA has not confirmed the move.
Team IR Iran was originally scheduled to train at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson ahead of the international soccer tournament, but a move had been considered possible because of uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East and security concerns.
Officials in Tucson had no comment Saturday.
The team says it will now be based in Tijuana, Mexico, just across the border from the United States.
“All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved FIFA,” said a statement attributed to Mehdi Taj, president of the Iran Football Federation. ”Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with FIFA and World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as the webinar meeting we had yesterday in the Tehran with the respected FIFA Secretary General, our request to change the team’s base from the United States to Mexico was approved.”
Iran’s possible change in plans comes after Iranian Sports and Youth Minister Ahmad Donyamali said in March that it was “not possible” for the country to take part in the World Cup after the United States killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in its ongoing war.
“Due to the wicked acts they have done against Iran — they have imposed two wars on us over just eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people — definitely it’s not possible for us to take part in the World Cup,” he said.
Iran is in Group G and is scheduled to play New Zealand in Inglewood, California, on June 15. The team is also scheduled to face Belgium on June 21 before finishing group play against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
The World Cup will be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
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