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Iran has hit out at their treatment of the United States, with their head coach Amir Ghalanei saying his team was “the most abused” at the World Cup.
Team formation for the tournament has been deeply affected by the conflict between Iran and the United States, forcing the squad to move their training camp to Mexico.
They are an earner 2-2 draw against New Zealand in their opening Group G Tuesday’s match was roared by an enthusiastic Iranian-American crowd, after parts of the 70,000-strong crowd at Sophie Stadium in Los Angeles booed their anthem.
Iranian fans at Sophie Stadium in Los Angeles
Iran was not even expected to be in the finals when co-hosts the United States, along with Israel, began bombing in February.
Although a peace deal was finally agreed on Sunday, the build-up to the games has only highlighted the complexity and polarized views surrounding the team’s participation, with Ghalenoi appearing to be the target of harsh criticism from US authorities.
“We spent a lot of time traveling in the air,” he said. “Even after today’s game they didn’t give us time to recover. They said we have to leave immediately.
“It’s very important for us to have time to recover and yet we’ve been told to go back to Tijuana and we’re really worried about that.
Iran’s head coach Amir Galenoi
“We don’t know why they’re turning us away. I think it’s very strange. It seems that others are planning for us, the decision has been made elsewhere, we were supposed to arrive two nights before the game and we weren’t allowed, we were supposed to stay tonight and come back at lunchtime tomorrow but I don’t know why, and they didn’t tell us.
“Our team is the most oppressed team in the entire World Cup.
“The federation is missing here. Our media is not here. Our management team, many of them are not here. We had a part of the coaching team to help with the replacement but we didn’t have that. A lot of people had to deal with it on the technical side.”
Sky Sports News FIFA has been approached for comment.
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi described their treatment as a “disaster” and revealed that FIFA president Gianni Infantino was in the dressing room, offering to “help” the team.
In footage of Infantino released on X, he tells the players “you are stronger than everything”, adding that “this is just the beginning” and that the team is “writing history, the whole world is watching you”.
Infantino is also understood to have told the players that he would do what he could to ensure that the Iranian delegation, which did not receive visas, could travel to the US for the rest of their group games.
Taremi added: “We don’t have a president, and no one from the staff, which is so important for us. Our manager, for example, is here doing media work, and you know everything is like a disaster for us.”
Protests and jubilation at Iran’s first game
Protesters gathered outside the stadium before kick-off, calling for change in Tehran.
Iran’s national anthem was greeted by audible boos inside the stadium but minutes earlier, there were loud cheers when images of the team in the tunnel appeared on the giant screens above the pitch, and the team also had strong vocal support after the match started.
The Iranian community in Los Angeles consists largely of those who fled the country during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, or the children of those who did, and anti-regime sentiment is strong here.
FIFA won a case to ban flags with the pre-revolution ‘lion and sun’ symbol from being flown into stadiums earlier on Monday, but there was plenty of evidence at the venue in the lead-up to kick-off.
Protesters vowed “hell” in the build-up to the match and some aggressive anti-regime chants were chanted around the Sofi Stadium, describing Tehran’s leaders as “terrorists”, with many attending the match keen to separate the team from the state they represent.
