Exiled Iranian women's soccer player calls on US to withhold visas for Iranian World Cup team

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(19 Mar 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ++ACCESS OK FOR AP AND SNTV CLIENTS++ ++SNTV CLIENTS MAY USE++ ++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++ ASSOCIATED PRESS New York - 17 March 2026 1. Wide of Former Iranian women’s national soccer team player Shiva Amini talking in the studio at the Associated Press headquarters in New York City 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Shiva Amini, former Iranian women’s national soccer team player:  "So we just are trying to convince the United States to don't give visa to those who are chanting death to America, death to Israel, because those players are like, like the most of them are working with the regime. So why they have to come here and use those benefits? Because sports is not for... criminals. Sports is not for terrorists. Sports is for the right people, the right athletes. People of Iran. Where are them? In the prison." ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVE: Tehran, Iran - 10 June 2025 3. STILL: Irans's players pose for a team photo before an Asian group A qualifying soccer match against North Koreanfor the 2026 World Cup at Azadi Stadium (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi ID: 25161758184900) ASSOCIATED PRESS New York - 17 March 2026 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Shiva Amini, former Iranian women’s national soccer team player:  "Because three years ago during the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement when teenagers were getting shot on the street, ++unintelligible++ Instead of talking about that, they had a big platform, instead of talking about that, they were laughing, they were so happy, and it was honestly a slap on the face of those teenagers and their families." ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVE: New York - 24 September 2025 5. Various of Gianni Infantino, President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) at the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards ASSOCIATED PRESS New York - 17 March 2026 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Shiva Amini, former Iranian women’s national soccer team player:  "So those are not Iranian national soccer team. Those are the regime national soccer team. And that would be so, I'm trying so hard to convince the United States. We cannot do anything with FIFA, honestly, because Gianni Infantino is a good friend and an ally to the regime. He always shake their hand, they're murderers. And we try so hard to convince him, but honestly, he's not in our side, the right side of the history." ++BLACK FRAME++ 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Shiva Amini, former Iranian women’s national soccer team player:  "What exactly I'm doing right now, we have a campaign which is more than 50 athletes and we are named United Against Sportwashing. And our goal, our purpose is to boycott the Islamic Republic from every global sports, you know, because in one hand, the regime is chanting death to America, death to Israel. Iranian athletes cannot even shake hands of the Israeli players and also play with them. And they're gonna lose everything because they don't allow to play against like Israeli players. Like us, we were like, we couldn't even shake hand of the referees, you know? It was humiliating for us." ++BLACK FRAME++ 8. SOUNDBITE (English) Shiva Amini, former Iranian women’s national soccer team player:  "This is the first time the world is talking about Iranian and all eyes are on Iran. I just can tell you about that, this is first time I'm hopeful because we want regime change, but we don't care how because without help from outside, we cannot do that. It's impossible. They kill us. They kill all athletes you are seeing. They held hostage the athletes and their family. And this is not only about athletes. It's about more than 80 million Iranians." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/d96ee4c7cfd949be99ea235a1cdaac55