Iran to officially complain to FIFA about World Cup treatment just days before their next game
Iran plans to make an official complaint to FIFA about the travel restrictions they’ve been facing at the World Cup. Right after their first Group G game against New Zealand on Tuesday, Iran’s head coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team feels like “the most oppressed” at this summer’s tournament in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
His remarks came after Iran was told they had to fly back to their base in Mexico right after their 1-1 draw in Los Angeles, instead of staying an extra day for recovery. “We’ve been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we’re really upset about that,” Ghalenoei said. “They are forcing us to leave early, making things much harder with more obstacles. But we won’t let that stop us from doing our best.”
Ghalenoei repeated his feeling that Iran is “the most oppressed” team in the World Cup. “We don’t understand why they want us to leave so soon. It feels very strange,” he added. “It seems like others are making these plans for us. We were supposed to arrive two nights before the game, but we weren’t allowed. We were supposed to stay here tonight to recover and fly back tomorrow.”
He also mentioned that their team’s federation officials, media, and management weren’t present with them. It was later reported that Iran will only be allowed to arrive in Los Angeles 24 hours before their match against Belgium on Sunday, after their request to come two days early was denied. This will make training and getting used to the conditions more difficult.
A spokesperson from Iran’s football federation said, “Even though we shared our preparation schedule early, we’ve faced more restrictions from the organizers, which affect our plans. Since the match will be at noon local time in Los Angeles (8 pm Irish time), we asked to arrive two days early.”
The Iranian federation confirmed they will file a formal complaint with FIFA. “We believe these restrictions go against the idea of fair treatment for all teams and could hurt their preparation. So, we’ll officially share our concerns with FIFA,” they said. Despite these challenges, they assured that the team will keep preparing and stay focused on their upcoming game against Belgium.