Rep. Pramila Jayapal Won't Bench Iran From World Cup
Published
Pramila Jayapal says Iran belongs at the World Cup right alongside everybody else ... no matter how heated world politics get.
Check it out ... the Washington congresswoman -- whose district includes Seattle, one of the host cities for the tournament coming up in June -- told TMZ on Friday morning she doesn't think Iran should be excluded from the global competition despite ongoing international tensions.
"I think that it is important that we continue to have countries participating from all over the world," Jayapal said when Jacob asked if Iran should still participate. "These are soccer players from Iran ... they're important participants in FIFA."
Jayapal also brushed off concerns about security tied to Iran's scheduled match in Seattle ... saying the city isn't treating the situation as a heightened threat. And when asked point-blank whether there would be extra security measures surrounding Iran specifically, she doubled down ... "I don't think so. No, I haven't felt it back home at all."
The longtime progressive lawmaker added her office hasn't received concerns from constituents over Iran participating either ... saying Seattle is preparing to welcome fans and teams from around the globe.
Jayapal also sounded off on another major World Cup controversy -- sky-high ticket prices. She called it really frustrating to see fans potentially priced out of the tournament ... with some finals tickets reportedly going for around $34,000.
She said lawmakers are exploring ways to make at least some tickets more affordable and accessible to regular fans in the U.S. ... though she acknowledged dealing with FIFA is complicated because it's an international organization.
