Iran Coach Says Team Ordered Out of US Right After World Cup Opener

Iran's World Cup coach, Amir Ghalenoei, asserted that his team was instructed to depart the United States mere hours after their opening match, a 2-2 draw against New Zealand. The team had anticipated spending the night in California to facilitate recovery but was instead directed to return to their training base in Tijuana, Mexico.

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They didn’t even give us time to recover. 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.

"They didn’t even give us time to recover," Ghalenoei stated through an interpreter. "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."

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I think our team is perhaps the most oppressed in the World Cup.

Ghalenoei suggested that external forces were making decisions for the team, describing the situation as "very strange." He highlighted that the team's preparations have been marred by diplomatic challenges, including the U.S. denial of visas for key staff members such as the president of Iran's football federation and coaching support personnel. "We have to leave Los Angeles right now, and it’s not good for us," said team captain Mehdi Taremi.

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We have to leave Los Angeles right now, and it’s not good for us.

The coach also linked the team's physical issues during the match, including player cramps, to the lack of adequate preparation time. "Many of our players, they had cramps, and that’s why we had to substitute them. So it wasn’t for technical reasons that we made substitutions. It was because of the injury and because of the cramp," Ghalenoei explained. He added that the delays in arrival and the forced early departure without recovery time are exacerbating the team's difficulties.

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Many of our players, they had cramps, and that’s why we had to substitute them. So it wasn’t for technical reasons that we made substitutions. It was because of the injury and because of the cramp.