Iran coach: US treatment at World Cup ‘really terrible’
Iran, which wants to get out of the group stage for the first time in World Cup history, had to wait for the results of Saturday’s matches after finishing Group G in third place. “Melli” seemingly secured their place in the round of 32 with a stoppage time score, but VAR review disallowed Shojae Khalilzadeh’s goal for a marginal offside call.
A turbulent World Cup experience continued for Iran, which moved its training camp base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, Mexico, due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. They also encountered logistical problems traveling to and from the United States for three group matches.
Iran are in a strong position to claim one of eight third places in the round of 32, but coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team had been treated “very unfairly” as he called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to “stand up” against hosts the United States.
“It was the home team that didn’t treat us very well,” Ghalenoei said after Friday’s game. “I call on FIFA not to allow hosts to treat teams and players in the same way in the future. I hope Mr Infantino will truly resist such behaviour.”
Friday’s match took place against the backdrop of Seattle’s annual PrideFest, with the city’s host committee unofficially declaring it a “Pride Match” on June 26 ahead of the December draw that pitted Egypt against Iran. While no official Pride activity was visible at FIFA’s fan festival or inside the stadium, a few rainbow flags were seen mingling among the mostly Muslim crowd.
Outside the stadium, hundreds of supporters of Reza Pahlavi, a leading critic of the Islamic republic, took to the streets in a rally. Two hours before the critical match, there was a tense, albeit obvious, atmosphere. After the match started, Iran fell just behind Egypt’s goal in the fifth minute. However, Iran equalized nine minutes later. The score remained level throughout the hydration break in the second half and Iran then made a furious attempt to score the go-ahead score.
They appeared to have succeeded as Khalilzadeh found the back of the net after an intense series in front of the Egyptian goal. Then the message “VAR Challenge” appeared on the scoreboard and a few minutes later the goal was disallowed.
Iran would keep up the pressure by sending another shot over the crossbar before the final whistle.
After the match, team captain Mehdi Taremi described the match as a “disaster World Cup”. Not because of Iran’s performance, but because of how he believed the team was treated.
While Taremi pointed out that some of Iran’s logistics men did not have visas to travel with the team, he also drew attention to the lack of Iranian media. And while it was true that Egyptian media members were vociferously supportive in the press box throughout the match, Iranian media had no significant presence.
Iran, who was denied permission to stay overnight in the United States for a third consecutive game, was scheduled to land in Tijuana early Saturday morning. This is the latest in a series of actions that Ghalenoei says has “deprived” his team of the opportunity to properly train and recover mentally and physically from the rigors of World Cup matches.
“I want to tell my players and my team that I am proud of them,” Ghalenoei said. he said. “The actions of these young people, these players, need to be recorded in history because the host country treated us very unfairly.
“Their behavior towards us was truly appalling and we hope the world will realize that. Despite all these problems, we managed to perform well and the world is proud of the Iranians and our team. I think this is our greatest achievement, despite all the hurdles and obstacles they put in front of us.”
Iran left a handwritten note in the locker room, as it did after the second group game in Los Angeles. They thanked Seattle for its hospitality, thanked the Iranians for their “hearts, their voices” and talked about football being a “test of character.”
We then headed to the airport for the return flight to Tijuana.
