Iran’s World Cup campaign has descended into chaos after the team was ordered to leave Los Angeles immediately following Monday night’s 2-2 draw against New Zealand – a decision the head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, described as making his side “the most oppressed” at the tournament.
“After the game today they said to us: ‘You have to leave immediately,’” Ghalenoei told reporters. “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.”
“Iran’s World Cup team was forced to leave Los Angeles immediately after a 2-2 draw, their coach calling them the 'most oppressed' side.”
The Iran captain, Mehdi Taremi, echoed his coach’s dismay. “Everything is like disaster for us,” he said, revealing that the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, had visited the dressing room after the match. Taremi added that the players expressed their concerns directly to Infantino, but the abrupt expulsion from Los Angeles went ahead regardless. A video shared online showed Infantino addressing the squad, telling them: “You are writing history … you united the whole stadium behind you, behind Team Melli.”
Ghalenoei claimed the team’s treatment amounted to oppression. “Our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup,” he said. “Our federation isn’t here, our media isn’t here, our management isn’t here.” He questioned why they were being forced to leave. “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.”
The coach hinted at resentment toward the US government, though he did not specify. “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,” Ghalenoei said. With two more group games to play, the team now faces an uncertain recovery schedule as they head back to their base in Mexico.