Iran were ordered to leave the United States immediately after their 2-2 draw with New Zealand at the Los Angeles Stadium, prompting furious protests from players and staff who slammed their treatment at the World Cup.
Head coach Amir Ghalenoei revealed his team had no time to recover after a thrilling Group G encounter, claiming they were being forced to return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, amid ongoing political tension. “They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Ghalenoei said through an interpreter. “After the game today, they said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’”
“Iran ordered to leave US immediately after 2-2 World Cup draw; coach calls team 'most oppressed'”
The order caps a tumultuous journey for the Iranian team, whose eligibility for the tournament was in serious doubt due to the war with Donald Trump’s United States. A new peace deal was agreed this week, but the US president had warned it would not be safe for players to attend. Iran were forced to relocate their training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana on the eve of the World Cup, and eleven members of their travelling party were denied visas to enter the US. As part of the agreement allowing them to play, they had just a few hours after the final whistle in their games to leave the country.
“They delayed our arrivals, and they are forcing us to go back early without time for recovery,” Ghalenoei added. “They are making the situation more and more difficult, facing us with more hurdles, but we’re not going to let that stop us from doing our best. That’s why I think we are the most oppressed team in the World Cup.”
Striker Mehdi Taremi echoed the frustration, slamming the treatment of his nation. “FIFA told us you have to go because it’s our preparation,” Taremi said. “It’s supposed to be, as I said, tomorrow morning recovery, then we fly to Tijuana, then return to LA again. But now, right now, we have to go back, and I don’t know who, because it’s between the federation and FIFA. And also, we don’t have our media, we don’t have our president of the federation, we don’t have the vice president, and no one, some staff also, which is so important for us.”
The match itself was an entertaining affair, with Iran twice coming from behind to draw 2-2. But the focus has swiftly turned to the diplomatic chaos surrounding the team’s participation, leaving players and staff scrambling to regroup in Mexico before their next fixture.