Amir Ghalenoei, head coach of Iran’s national football team, has expressed his concerns over the treatment of his squad by the US, urging FIFA President Gianni Infantino to take a stand. Ghalenoei remarked that the co-hosts have shown significant unfairness towards his team.
With a chance to qualify for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time, Iran faced frustrating moments during their recent match against Egypt in Seattle. Despite a dramatic draw, where a late goal was disallowed for offside and another shot hit the crossbar, the team is grappling with more than just the outcome.
Following their opening match against New Zealand, Infantino visited the Iranian dressing room and inspired the players by telling them, “you are stronger than everything” However, Ghalenoei noted that despite Infantino’s efforts, conditions have not improved since the tournament began. He previously referred to Iran as the “I know Mr Infantino has tried his best to minimise the problems as much as possible but it was the host that wasn’t very good to us,” team in the World Cup.
“I urge Fifa to not let the hosts treat teams and players the same way in the future. I hope Mr Infantino will actually stand up to such behaviour.” Ghalenoei stated during the post-match press conference. “Since the beginning, it’s a disaster World Cup. I mean, Fifa, they have to solve every problem here but unfortunately this they couldn’t solve since the beginning. Mr Infantino came to our changing room [after the] first game and he said: ‘It’s just the beginning.’ But [the] group stage finishes tomorrow and we don’t have our logistic people here, they don’t have a visa. How [is that] possible?”
Iran’s captain, Mehdi Taremi, has also criticized FIFA’s management of the situation, particularly highlighting the denial of entry to 11 senior officials into the United States. “We have to fight against everything here. I don’t know what people want or know, but as we see it by our perspective, yeah, they’d like that, I think.”
When asked if there is a sense that the US and FIFA wish for Iran to exit the tournament, Taremi replied, “To my players and the team, I want to say to them I’m proud of them, what these young people, these players have done, it should be written in history because the host country treated us very unfairly. “Had the host country allowed us to arrive two weeks earlier, we would have been more prepared. They were reasonable, rational demands. We would have been able to recover and be in better shape physically and mentally however they deprived us of that justice. “When you play in a match, physically, scientifically, our bodies are at a low and when you suddenly go on a flight, that actually postpones your recovery and this is the third time they are doing this to us, we have to leave from here to the airport and we have to return to Tijuana and it will take us some three hours. “Their behaviour towards us has been really terrible and we hope the world will be aware of that. They didn’t let us come two weeks earlier and two days earlier before every game. This has really hurt us. And we had a war as well. Despite all of these problems, we’ve been able to perform well and the world is proud of Iranians and our team. I think that’s our greatest achievement despite all the obstacles and the hurdles they put in our way.”
After being denied permission to remain in Seattle, Iran’s team was set to arrive in Tijuana, Mexico, at 3 AM on Saturday. Ghalenoei expressed pride in his players, stating, “If a player asks to be substituted, it means he felt something,”
He further elaborated, “I talked to Salah and he said he’s going to be OK and it’s not a big injury. We still have time to talk to the medical staff, I think he will be back and when I spoke to Salah he assured me he’s going to be OK.”
“When you play in a match, physically, scientifically, our bodies are at a low and when you suddenly go on a flight, that actually postpones your recovery and this is the third time they are doing this to us,” he added. “Their behaviour towards us has been really terrible and we hope the world will be aware of that.”
“They didn’t let us come two weeks earlier and two days earlier before every game. This has really hurt us. And we had a war as well. Despite all of these problems, we’ve been able to perform well and the world is proud of Iranians and our team. I think that’s our greatest achievement despite all the obstacles and the hurdles they put in our way.”
In related news, Egypt’s head coach, Hossam Hassan, downplayed concerns regarding the fitness of their captain, Mohamed Salah, ahead of their last-32 match against Australia in Dallas. Salah had requested to be substituted nearing the hour mark. “If a player asks to be substituted, it means he felt something,” Hassan explained. “I talked to Salah and he said he’s going to be OK and it’s not a big injury. We still have time to talk to the medical staff, I think he will be back and when I spoke to Salah he assured me he’s going to be OK.”
