Trump travel ban caused Iraqi-American MLS player Justin Meram to decline Iraq call-up

On March 23, Iraq will resume its World Cup qualifying campaign in desperate need of a win. After a 1-4 start, the showdowns with Asian juggernaut Australia will need to yield some points in the home game in Tehran, Iran – Iraq isn’t yet deemed safe enough to host World Cup qualifiers.

But Iraq will have to make do without one of its top forwards, Justin Meram of the Columbus Crew. Not because the Michigan native with the Iraqi parents is injured, or suspended, or because his coach decided to go with someone else.

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Meram won’t be playing because of President Trump’s travel ban. His decision to decline the call-up is one of the first significant effects the ban, in its first or second versions, has had on soccer, or indeed an elite American athlete.

Although the revised travel ban now largely excludes Iraq – after it was one of the seven countries in the first draft, which was blocked by a court – Meram apparently feels sufficiently insecure about his chances of re-entering the country after a trip to Iran, which remains on the list.

The decision was confirmed by the Iraqi federation in a statement, as reported by SI.com.

“The technical staff exhausted a considerable effort with Meram to change his mind about not coming to Iran due to the recent decisions by the American government with regards to it’s [sic] relations with the Islamic Republic [of Iran],” it wrote in its statement. “[We] tried to point out to the player and his family that his entrance to Tehran will not affect his presence in America. That was not convincing even with assertions from the Association’s legal expert.”

Meram himself offered his own explanation on Twitter, posting a statement as well.

“I wish I wasn’t in this situation,” he wrote. “I’d love nothing more than to be there alongside my teammates in the upcoming games, but for reasons outside of my control, I will not be participating in the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers.”

The ban should not technically affect the 28-year-old Meram, since he’s a citizen of the United States.

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.