Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei described his squad as possibly the “most oppressed team in the whole World Cup” after stating that Iran were told to leave Los Angeles and return to their training camp in Tijuana, Mexico, immediately after their first match.
Following what was described as one of the most strained buildups in tournament history, Iran faced New Zealand at SoFi Stadium on Monday in a politically charged World Cup opener that ended in a 2-2 draw.
During his postgame remarks, Ghalenoei criticized the abrupt change to Iran’s travel schedule, explaining that their planned return to Mexico on Tuesday had been altered without notice.
Weeks before the tournament, Iran’s World Cup base of operations had been relocated from Arizona to Tijuana, even though all three of the team’s group matches were scheduled in the United States.
The team’s original itinerary involved flying into the U.S. two days before each match and leaving the day after, but that arrangement was changed prior to Monday’s game.
Iran traveled to Los Angeles on Sunday, and Ghalenoei said another change occurred after the match when they were instructed to depart immediately.
“We spent so much time in the air commuting, 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.'”
He continued, emphasizing the team’s difficulties: “It’s very important for us to have time for recovery, but we’ve been told to return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that.”
Ghalenoei repeated his earlier characterization, saying, “I think perhaps our team is the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup.”
The coach did not identify who gave the order to leave Monday night, but Iran captain Mehdi Taremi mentioned that FIFA president Gianni Infantino had visited the locker room after the game.
“For sure, he wants to try to help us, but it’s about other things, too. Everyone knows it,” Taremi said. “I don’t need to mention that because you know where we are.”
Taremi added, “I think FIFA has to help us more than this. Let’s see what happens in the future.”
Both Ghalenoei and Taremi also complained that the president of Iran’s football federation, Mehdi Taj, and several members of the support staff had been unable to travel to the United States.
“Everything is a disaster for us,” Taremi said.
The match in Inglewood marked Iran’s participation in a World Cup hosted by a country with which it had been at war, following months of tension and uncertainty about their involvement.
Iran’s opener took place near Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran, many of whom emigrated after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
When the Iranian anthem was played, the stadium reaction mixed audible jeers with loud cheers, yet support for the team was strong among the crowd of 70,108 once play began.
“There were many Iranians here. They believe in different political affiliations, different beliefs, but they all wholeheartedly encouraged us, and I think that’s a victory for all of us,” Ghalenoei said.
Supporters celebrated goals by Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi while waving both pre- and post-revolutionary Iranian flags.
Despite FIFA’s ban on pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flags, which was upheld in an emergency hearing on the morning of the match, many such flags were seen throughout the stands.
“I wanted to say thank you to the Iranians who live in Los Angeles; they make a great atmosphere in the game,” Mohebbi said.
Looking ahead, Iran’s second Group G match will be against Belgium in Inglewood on Sunday, followed by a meeting with Egypt and Mohamed Salah in Seattle on June 26.
After the opening round, all four teams in Group G—Iran, New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt—had drawn their matches and stood level on one point each entering the next phase.