Iran's players and staff have hit out at their treatment at the World Cup in the United States after being ordered to leave the country 'immediately' following their 2-2 draw with New Zealand. Iranian head coach Amir Ghalenoei revealed his side had no opportunity to recover after a dramatic encounter at the Los Angeles Stadium, claiming they were being compelled to return to their training base in Mexico amid ongoing political tensions.
Serious questions had been raised over the team's eligibility to compete at the tournament, owing to the continuing conflict with Donald Trump's United States - though a fresh peace deal has been struck between the two nations as of this week. The US president had even cautioned that it would not be safe for the players to travel to the tournament this summer, with Iran forced to relocate their training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, on the eve of the World Cup.
A total of 11 members of their travelling party were denied visas to enter the US, and as part of the conditions agreed for their participation in the tournament, they were permitted only a matter of hours after the final whistle of each match before being required to depart.
"They didn't even give us time to recover," Ghalenoei said through an interpreter after the draw with New Zealand. "After the game today, they said to us, 'You have to leave immediately.' It's very important for us to have time for recovery, but we are asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that. They delayed our arrivals, and they are forcing us to go back early without time for recovery. They are making the situation more and more difficult, facing us with more hurdles, but we're not going to let that stop us from doing our best. That's why I think we are the most oppressed team in the World Cup."
The frustration was echoed by Iran striker Mehdi Taremi, who hit out at the way his country had been treated at the tournament. He said: "FIFA told us you have to go because it's our preparation. It's supposed to be, as I said, tomorrow morning recovery, then we fly to Tijuana, then return to LA again. But now, right now, we have to go back, and I don't know who, because it's between the federation and FIFA. And also, we don't have that, because we don't have our media, we don't have our president of the federation, we don't have the vice president, and no one, some staff also, which is so important for us. It doesn't have any communication with the FIFA and for the players. As you see, our analyser, for example, have come here doing the job of the media, and you know, everything is a disaster, actually, for us. It's not the right thing for us, but we don't follow the excuse, we're just looking forward, we're having hope for the next two games, and we will do our best for our people, and we bring the joy for our supporters."
When pressed further on who instructed Iran that they must depart the country, Taremi stated it occurred before the fixture, though he could not identify who specifically issued the directive to leave immediately. He described the circumstances as a "disaster," disclosing that FIFA President Gianni Infantino paid a visit to the squad in the dressing room. "But it's about other things, too," he continued. "You know, everyone knows it. It doesn't need to mention that because, you know, where we are."
Mohammad Mohebi also revealed details about the side's preparations following the match and branded the treatment of the squad as 'unfair.' "We need to get fair competition you know?" he said. "I think we were meant to come here two days before the game, yesterday we came and we arrived in the afternoon. We went training and we get tired you know? I think we were supposed to be here two days before the game and these kind of things are not fair."
