INGLEWOOD, California — Iran’s head coach Amir Ghalenoei said Monday that his team is being “oppressed” due to sudden travel changes caused by tensions between Iran and the United States, and that the ongoing disruption had an impact on his squad’s performance in a 2-2 tie with New Zealand.
The Iranian football federation had worked out a late switch of the team’s base camp from Arizona to Mexico, driven by uncertainty around U.S. visas and a growing desire to limit the squad’s time on American soil, according to Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, who spoke with Reuters.
Ghalenoei, 62, said the problems continued even after the match, with the team expecting to spend the night in Los Angeles before heading back to Mexico the following day — only to be told they had to leave immediately.
“We’re supposed to stay here tonight to recover and return tomorrow lunchtime, but they haven’t permitted us,” Ghalenoei said. “To be honest, I have no idea why. I think perhaps our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup.”
The coach did not identify who had issued the order. The U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment, and FIFA also did not immediately reply.
The buildup to the match had already been filled with drama off the field. Iran played on U.S. soil less than 24 hours after a peace agreement was announced to end the conflict that began when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February.
Iran forward Mehdi Taremi added his voice to the frustration, saying the restrictions were keeping the team from performing at their best.
“It’s not good for us. I think it’s not good for football,” Taremi said. “I think FIFA have to help us more than this.”
Taremi described a frantic Sunday that included travel from Tijuana to Los Angeles, then to their hotel, and finally to the stadium just to view the pitch. He said they should have had two full days to settle in before the match.
“It’s so bad and it affects our team and we just want peace,” Taremi said, also noting that FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited the Iran locker room on Monday.
Coach Ghalenoei also pointed to the absence of several key support staff members, with some officials and media personnel unable to enter the country due to visa restrictions. That left coaches taking on extra duties on the sideline.
“Our management team, many of them aren’t here,” he said. “We had to deal with those roles ourselves.”
In spite of all the disruption, Ghalenoei praised his players for their toughness in earning the draw. He noted that several players dealt with cramping during the match, which he attributed to added fatigue from the travel complications.
