Iran national team manager Amir Ghalenoei has described his squad as the 'most oppressed' team in the World Cup after they were reportedly ordered to leave the United States immediately following a friendly match against New Zealand.
Forced departure after draw
The Iranian team played a 2-2 draw against New Zealand on Monday night in Los Angeles. According to Ghalenoei, the team was told to leave the country right after the match, disrupting their recovery plans.
Speaking in Farsi through a FIFA interpreter, Ghalenoei said: 'They didn’t even give us time to recover after the game today. They said to us, you have to leave immediately, whereas today, it’s very important for us to have time for recovery, but yet [we] have been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Mexico, in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that.'
Plans disrupted
Iran had initially planned to stay in California after the game for recovery and then return to their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on Tuesday, June 16. However, the sudden order forced them to leave sooner.
World Cup participation in doubt
Iran's participation in the World Cup was uncertain until the last minute due to tensions between Iran, the United States, and Israel. The team originally intended to set up base camp in Arizona but later changed it to Tijuana.
While all players, including captain Mehdi Taremi—who previously served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—received US visas, several support staff members and Iranian journalists were denied entry permits.
FIFA president's visit
Players Taremi and Mohammad Mohebi told reporters that FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited their locker room before the match, offering help, though the specifics of that assistance remain unclear.
Ghalenoei elaborated on the team's challenges: 'Perhaps our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup. The head of the federation is absent. Our media isn’t here, our management, many of them aren’t here. We used to have part of the coaching team to help with substitutions, but we didn’t have that. … That’s why I think we are the most oppressed team in the World Cup.'
