Iran has accused US officials of delaying their World Cup squad's travel to Seattle for a group-stage match against Egypt, detaining striker Mehdi Taremi and assistant coach Saeed Alhoei for 25 minutes before allowing them to proceed. The Iranian Football Federation said the pair were 'disturbed' and 'caused problems' by host officials, though the reason for the hold-up has not been revealed.
Team Forced to Wait at Border
The incident occurred as the team traveled from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, to Seattle for their World Cup fixture against Egypt. A statement from the federation read: 'During the national team's third trip to the United States, host officials disturbed Saeed Alhoei and Mehdi Taremi, delaying the convoy's departure to Seattle for the match against Egypt.' The party was delayed for 25 minutes before being permitted to proceed.
Iran's 'Most Oppressed' Claim
Iran have established their World Cup camp in Mexico despite all their group fixtures taking place in the United States. Amid concerns over security and visa approvals, Iran moved their base to Tijuana, having initially been expected to prepare in Tucson, Arizona. Following the squad's opening tournament match against New Zealand, head coach Amir Ghalenoei declared his side were the 'most oppressed' team at the World Cup. They faced last-minute travel restrictions and, having anticipated remaining in Los Angeles overnight, were instructed to return immediately to their Mexican training base at full-time.
'After the game, they said to us: 'You have to leave immediately',' Ghalenoei said. 'We've been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana and we are really troubled by that. They are forcing us to go back early. They are making the situation more and more difficult, more hurdles, but we're not going to let that stop us from doing our best. We don't know why they're returning us, to be honest. I think it's very strange. It seems like others are doing the planning for us. We were supposed to arrive two nights before the game but they didn't permit [it]. We were supposed to stay here tonight to recover and return tomorrow lunchtime. I think our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup. Our federation isn't here, our media isn't here, our management isn't here.'
US Response
When asked to respond to Ghalenoei's comments, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: 'The Iranian National Football Team agreed to these terms.'
