U.S. Disputes Iranian Team’s Claims of Travel Mismanagement

The United States has contested allegations from Iran’s national soccer team regarding an abrupt departure from the country following their initial World Cup match. White House representatives have asserted that the travel plans were established beforehand and conveyed to the team.

After the recent game, which ended in a 2-2 draw against New Zealand, Iran’s coach, Amir Ghalenoei, shared that the players were directed to immediately board a flight back to their base in Tijuana, Mexico, rather than take the night to rest in California.

“They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Ghalenoei remarked through an interpreter. “After today’s game, they told us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’ It’s really important for us to recover, but being asked to get on a plane right away is quite troubling.”

In response, Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, denied the claims, emphasizing that the government has been transparent regarding the travel protocols.

“It was clear this was a process,” he stated in an interview. “Teams will be allowed to play on the day of the game minus one, the day before the game. They’ll be expected to leave on the day the game ends. They could do it again in Los Angeles. They could do it again in Seattle.”

On Sunday, forward Mehdi Taremi of the Iranian team noted that what was meant to be a brief journey from Tijuana to Los Angeles turned into a lengthy ordeal, involving extensive border checks.

Prior to the travel controversy, captain Mehdi Torabi disclosed that his entry visa had been mistakenly categorized as a single-entry visa, leading to complications after the team’s first trip to Mexico following the game. Nonetheless, officials recently confirmed that he has received a new multi-entry visa, allowing him to participate in upcoming matches.

Giuliani refrained from commenting on the specifics of why certain support staff and players were denied entry. He did reference a prior directive from Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding a strict entry ban for individuals linked with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“Secretary Rubio has stated plainly: No one with direct ties to the Revolutionary Guards will be allowed into the United States. We’re not going to permit them into the U.S. for the World Cup,” Giuliani explained. “So I think the reason is very clear.”