Iran's football federation has hit back at a senior US official who celebrated the team's elimination from the World Cup, accusing the co-hosts of peddling 'lies' and saying they are 'used to mistreatment'. US homeland security secretary Markwayne Mullin said he performed a 'happy dance' and 'sung a song or two' after Iran failed to qualify for the last 32.
Speaking at a briefing in Washington, Mullin said: 'I'm just glad they're done, and they're not coming back. I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the US soil.' Iran's head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, had earlier described his team as the 'most oppressed' at the tournament, while captain Mehdi Taremi suggested the US would rather Iran not advance.
Eleven members of Iran's wider team, including federation president Mehdi Taj, were denied visas by US authorities. The team was also forced to relocate their training base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, on the eve of the tournament. Responding to Mullin's comments, a spokesperson for the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran said: 'Iranians are used to the mistreatment and lies of US officials.'
The spokesperson added: 'The fact that he openly celebrates Iran's elimination says far more about him than it does about our team. It reflects a level of pettiness that cannot even tolerate the presence of a football team competing on the world's biggest stage.' Iran left a handwritten note in Tijuana thanking locals for their hospitality and questioning whether every team competed under equal conditions.
