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The Department of Homeland Security is changing the guidelines for Iran’s national soccer team ahead of its third World Cup match Friday to accommodate extra time afforded to other countries in the tournament, a department spokesperson told NBC News.
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The Iranian soccer federation said it planned to lodge an official complaint with FIFA, the governing body for the World Cup, over its treatment in the U.S. so far.
The team will now be allowed to travel to Seattle two days before its game, allowing an extra day beyond the 24-hour window it was given for its first two games. But it will still be asked to depart for its home base in Tijuana, Mexico, after the match wraps up.
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“Ahead of the match in Seattle on June 26, the Iranian team will be allowed to come in match day minus two, so two days before the match. They’ll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match,” a DHS spokesperson said.
“Again, the President wants to make sure that we’re talking about what actually happens on the pitch,” the statement continued. “A lot of that is making sure that things are safe and secure, not just around the stadiums, but around base camps and training sites.”
Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House FIFA Task Force, hinted at the possibility in recent days, saying there were active discussions about changing the policy.
The Iranian team was originally scheduled to train at a facility in Tucson, Arizona, before its base camp was abruptly moved to Tijuana in late May.
That means it has shuttled to and from games in less time than in other countries, and it has had to depart the U.S. after each of its first two matches.
The team had previously complained about unfair treatment in the tournament so far, in which the 47 other teams have been able to travel to matches earlier and stay afterward for recovery time if they prefer. Iran’s coach said his players were “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup.”
Iran tied both of its first two matches in Los Angeles and could advance with a victory over Egypt in Seattle on Friday.
Iran was included in the World Cup before the U.S. attacked it on Feb. 28.
The Trump administration has been touting peace talks this week to end the conflict, including most recently that Iran has “fully and completely agreed” to nuclear inspections long into the future, President Donald Trump said Tuesday.
Iran’s nuclear capabilities were the crux of the February attack as the U.S. tries to curb its stockpile of weapons.
The war has spiked gas prices and caused Trump’s favorability to fall, and it has introduced more fighting between Lebanon and Israel. It has also, for the better part of the conflict, blocked the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the opening of which is a key point in Trump’s peace plan.
Monica Alba is a White House correspondent for NBC News.
Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.
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