USA treated Iran unfairly, says coach; Mehdi Taremi blasts FIFA over ‘disaster World Cup’ travel restrictions

Iran captain Mehdi Taremi has slammed FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino after his side’s World Cup campaign was marred by travel restrictions and logistical issues, saying the tournament had been a “disaster” for his team.

Speaking after Iran’s 1-1 draw against Egypt in Seattle on Friday, Taremi accused FIFA of failing to honour promises made earlier in the tournament and said the constant travel between Mexico and the United States had left the squad at a significant disadvantage.

The draw left Iran third in Group G. They must now wait for Saturday’s results to find out whether they advance to the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams.

‘NO ONE HELPS US’

Taremi did not hide his frustration as he questioned FIFA’s handling of Iran’s participation in the tournament.

“It’s a disaster World Cup; a disaster,” Taremi told reporters.

“I mean, FIFA have to solve every problem here but unfortunately they could not solve it since the beginning. Mr Infantino came to our changing room after the first game against New Zealand and said, ‘It’s just the beginning…’ but the group stage finishes tomorrow.”

Iran had initially planned to base themselves in Tucson, Arizona, but shifted their camp to Tijuana, Mexico, after tensions between the United States and Iran escalated. Since then, the squad has had to travel across the border for all three group-stage matches.

Several members of Iran’s support staff were also unable to obtain U.S. visas, forcing the players to manage without key logistical and recovery personnel.

“We don’t have our logistic people here – they don’t have a visa. How is it possible we always have to travel from Tijuana?” Taremi said.

“We love the people in Tijuana. We love Mexico. They are humble people and we love them but as professional players in a professional competition, it’s not right.

“It’s not fair. Who wants to help us? If they want us to be out, then OK; let’s get out. But that’s not fair. We don’t have recovery or logistic people to help us. We always complain about these things but no one helps, no one.”

Taremi was also asked whether he believed Iran were truly welcome at the tournament.

“We have to fight against everything here,” he replied. “I don’t know what people want. As we see it from our perspective, yeah, they like that I think.”

IRAN COACH HITS OUT AT HOSTS USA

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei echoed his captain’s frustrations, accusing tournament co-host the United States of treating his side unfairly throughout the competition.

“The host country treated us very unfairly,” Ghalenoei said.

“Had the host nation allowed us to arrive two weeks earlier, to be more prepared, we would have been in better shape physically and mentally. However, they deprived us of that justice.”

Although U.S. authorities eased the restrictions slightly before Friday’s match by allowing the squad to arrive in the Seattle area two days in advance, Iran still had to return to Tijuana immediately after the game.

Ghalenoei urged FIFA to ensure that future World Cup hosts do not subject teams to similar conditions.

“I urge FIFA: don’t let hosts treat players and teams the same way in future World Cups,” he said.

IRAN’s ANXIOUS WAIT

Iran thought they had secured automatic qualification in stoppage time when Shoja Khalilzadeh fired home from close range, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

The late setback means Iran finished third in Group G and must now rely on results elsewhere to reach the knockout stage.

“I used to think that we were really a totally oppressed team, but after these three games, I have noticed that we also have bad luck as well,” Ghalenoei said.

Despite the uncertainty, the Iran coach insisted his players would stay focused while awaiting their fate.

“The team came with a sacred objective, which was to train and play well,” he said.

“If God willing, we advance, I’ll give them a day to have proper recovery, go to the beach maybe to mentally relax a bit.”

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