The head coach of Iran’s World Cup team says his players were ordered to leave the United States just hours after their opening game against New Zealand on Monday.
Head Coach Amir Ghalenoei says players were told to return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, immediately after Monday’s match.
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“They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Ghalenoei said, according to The Associated Press. “After the game today, they said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’ It’s very important for us to have time for recovery, (but) we are asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that.”
Ghalenoei said the team had expected to spend the night in Los Angeles before heading back to Mexico, but those plans changed after the game. The team’s captain, Mehdi Taremi, said a trip that normally takes just a few hours stretched to more than five hours because of security checks.
Team says it’s being treated unfairly
“I think our team is perhaps the most oppressed in the World Cup,” Ghalenoei said.
He did not specify who exactly ordered the team to return to their training facility and said he didn’t know why the order was given.
“We have to leave Los Angeles right now, and it’s not good for us,” Taremi told AP after the match. “I think FIFA have to help us more than this.”
Ghalenoei said several players developed cramps during the game, which was played in mild conditions. Both he and Taremi also said the absence of key staff members, such as the president of Iran’s football federation and some coaching support personnel, has made it difficult to prepare. They were denied visas by the U.S.
A historic day
Iran and New Zealand finished in a 2-2 draw. So did Spain and Cape Verde (0-0) and Egypt and Belgium (1-1), marking the first time in 68 years that all four matches on the same day ended in ties.
Iran has two games left — one against Belgium on Sunday in Inglewood and another against Egypt next week in Seattle.
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