Iranian soccer players have expressed their concerns regarding the harsh treatment their team has faced during the World Cup.
Striker Mehdi Taremi mentioned he was expelled from the U.S. shortly after the Iranian national team drew 2-2 with New Zealand in Los Angeles on Monday.
Taremi urged FIFA to intervene in what he described as an “unfair” predicament.
“Everything feels like a disaster for us,” he remarked.
Prior to the tournament, there was an arrangement that Iranian teams would travel in and out of the U.S. on the days they were set to play, with all group stage matches taking place in the country.
This arrangement comes in the backdrop of ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, a situation exacerbated since February.
President Trump warned the Iranian team to reconsider their participation “for their own lives and safety.”
Originally, Iran shifted its World Cup base from Arizona to Mexico, with over a dozen team members facing visa rejections at first.
The team originally intended to stay in the U.S. overnight for rest and training before heading back to their base in Tijuana.
However, after the match, FIFA President Gianni Infantino met with the players in the locker room, where coach Amir Ghalenoei and Taremi suggested that U.S. authorities were compelling the team to return to Mexico against their wishes.
Taremi expressed concern, saying, “We have to leave Los Angeles now, but it’s not good for us. It’s not good for football. We need to prepare for our next match, and this adds a lot of stress on the players and staff. I think FIFA should assist us more.”
When they inquired about why they were being sent away, Taremi stated, “He just wants to help us,” referring to Infantino’s response.
Ghalenoei went further, candidly declaring, “Our team is the most oppressed in the entire World Cup.”
It appears that Infantino has pledged to do his utmost to enable Iranian officials without visas to enter the U.S. for the remaining group stage games.
Relations remain tense, particularly after President Trump announced that a deal to end the conflict with Iran is “all signed,” with an official signing set for Friday in Switzerland.
