Iran is set to lodge a formal complaint with FIFA over travel restrictions imposed on their national team during the World Cup. The team's participation has been overshadowed by off-field tensions between the United States and Iran.
Restrictions on Movement
The United States is allowing Iran, whose base was moved to Mexico before the tournament, to fly into the country only one day before their matches. They are required to leave on the evening of each game. Several members of Iran's World Cup delegation had their visas rejected ahead of their opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand.
Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House's World Cup task force, stated: "The team will be allowed to come in match day minus one, so the day before the match. They'll be asked to leave the day the match wraps up, so the evening of the match. And they'll be able to do that again in Los Angeles, and they'll be able to do it again in Seattle. And that if they qualify for the next round, for the round of 32, they'll be able to do that again."
Request Denied
Ahead of their match against Belgium in Los Angeles, Iran requested permission to travel to the city two days early to prepare. After this request was rejected, Iran issued a statement confirming they would file a complaint with FIFA. The statement read: "Despite having submitted its preparation schedule for the tournament well in advance, Iran's national football team has once again encountered restrictions imposed by the organisers, affecting the implementation of its technical staff's plans."
A spokesperson added: "Given that the game will be played at noon in Los Angeles, the Football Federation of Iran requested that the team be allowed to travel to Los Angeles two days before the match. The aim was to provide sufficient time for players to adapt to the match conditions, complete their final training session, and finalise preparations. Despite the technical reasons presented by the federation, the request was once again denied."
Manager's Frustration
Iran manager Amir Ghalenoei expressed fury after being told to leave the US immediately following the New Zealand match. He said: "After the game today they said to us: 'You have to leave immediately.' Whereas it's very important for us to have recovery. 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."
He continued: "We don't know why they're returning us. 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. 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."
The US government claims Iran's quick departure was always the plan, with a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stating Iran agreed to those terms, according to CNN.
Upcoming Matches
After facing Belgium in Los Angeles, Iran will play Egypt in Seattle on June 27. With a point from their draw with New Zealand, a victory in either game would give them a strong chance of advancing to the Round of 32.
