Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei has described his side as the "most oppressed" team at the World Cup after last-minute travel restrictions forced them to leave Los Angeles immediately following their 2-2 draw with New Zealand.
Speaking after Monday night's match, Ghalenoei revealed that Iran had expected to stay overnight in Los Angeles for a recovery session but were told after the final whistle to return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico.
“Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei says his team is the 'most oppressed' at the World Cup after travel restrictions forced them to leave Los Angeles immediately.”
"After the game they said to us, 'you have to leave immediately'," Ghalenoei said. "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 campaign has been plagued by uncertainty linked to the war in the Middle East and security concerns. The team originally planned to base themselves in Tucson, Arizona, but moved to Tijuana in late May after logistical and visa problems. Multiple "integral" backroom staff were denied entry visas for the US, and the Iranian Football Federation called on Fifa to "uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations" after their ticket allocation was revoked on the eve of the tournament.
"We don't know why they're returning us, to be honest," Ghalenoei added. "I think 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 said the federation is absent. "Our federation isn't here, our media isn't here, our management isn't here," he said. "I think our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup."
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi echoed the sentiment, labelling the situation a "disaster". He praised Fifa president Gianni Infantino for visiting the team dressing room after the game and allowing them to express concerns, but urged the governing body to do more.
Iran will return to Los Angeles for their next Group G match against Belgium on 21 June, with their final group game against Egypt in Seattle on 27 June.