Iran urges FIFA to act on 'terrible' World Cup treatment by US

Iran's coach Amir Ghalenoei expressed frustration with the treatment his team received from co-host United States during the World Cup. He called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to intervene and prevent future instances of unfair hosting.

"It was the host that wasn’t very good to us," Ghalenoei stated after his team's 1-1 draw against Egypt. "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."

The team's World Cup experience has been turbulent, including moving their training camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. They also encountered logistical challenges with travel for their group matches.

Iran is in a strong position to potentially advance to the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-place teams. However, their hopes were dealt a blow when a stoppage-time goal against Egypt was disallowed after a marginal offside call during a VAR review.

The match itself took place in Seattle on June 26, a day unofficially declared "Pride Match" by the city's host committee. While no official Pride activities were visible inside the stadium or at FIFA's fan festival, rainbow flags were present in the crowd. Outside the stadium, supporters of dissident Reza Pahlavi gathered.

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It was the host that wasn’t very good to us. 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.