Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand confirmed on 30 April 2026 that Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj and two associates were refused entry at Toronto Pearson Airport earlier in the week. Taj had obtained a Canadian visa on Monday but was placed on a return flight late Tuesday after immigration officials discovered alleged links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a listed terrorist entity under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The officials were travelling to Vancouver for the 76th FIFA Congress, a high-profile gathering of delegates from 211 national associations. Their absence forced FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafström to mark Iran “absent” during the roll call. Under section 34 of the Act, foreign nationals found to be members of or affiliated with a terrorist organisation are inadmissible on security grounds. The case illustrates Canada’s increasingly strict application of security-screening provisions, particularly after Parliament unanimously adopted Motion 97 in 2023 designating the IRGC a terrorist group. For event organisers, the incident underscores the importance of early vetting of VIP participants. Multinational companies bringing guests to Canada—whether for sporting, tech or shareholder events—should conduct sanctions and adverse-media checks even if a visa has already been issued. The episode may also have diplomatic repercussions. Iran’s foreign ministry summoned the Canadian chargé d’affaires in Tehran, calling the decision “politically motivated”. Ottawa, however, maintains that all visa decisions are made by impartial officers applying Canadian law.
Source: Associated Press
