by Nohad Topalian | 2026-05-18

Canadian authorities barred Mehdi Taj, President of the Iranian Football Federation, from entering the country for a FIFA conference in Vancouver.

The refusal was based on his deep ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Canada designated a terrorist organization in 2024.

Taj was questioned for three hours at Toronto Pearson International Airport on April 28, before Canadian officials processed his deportation.

Though operating as a sports official, Taj is a former IRGC intelligence officer who commanded units following the 1979 Revolution.

His command units monitored domestic opposition and tracked dissident movements among the Kurdish population.

"Taj's sports official role was a specific IRGC mission for the World Cup, which the exposure of his deep-seated IRGC ties subsequently thwarted," Hassan Qutb, director of the Lebanese Center for Research and Consulting, told Al-Fassel.

"This strategy, common for retired IRGC commanders placed in high-ranking diplomatic, economic, and sports positions, aims to maintain international engagement, and ensure an uninterrupted intelligence flow to protect the regime." he added.

Canadian immigration officials initially erred by granting Taj a Temporary Resident Permit, overriding rules against inadmissibility.

Taj claimed he opted to return due to "inappropriate behavior," although Canadian authorities confirmed his travel documents were cancelled.

Iranians in Canada expressed outrage, questioning how an inadmissible person could receive entry under anti-terrorism laws.

This intense political controversy became the subject of inquiries, prompting Minister of Immigration Lena Diab to call the permit an "unintentional oversight".

The Ministry of Immigration subsequently affirmed its policy, declaring all IRGC officials "inadmissible to the country".