Iranians will complain to FIFA about travel harassment

Due to visa uncertainty and the conflict with the US, the Iranian national team is traveling from its base in Mexico for its three group games in the United States.

US authorities require them to enter within 24 hours of the match and leave the same day, prompting national team coach Amir Ghalenoei to say that Iran is the “most oppressed” team in the tournament.

“The Iranian Football Federation believes that these restrictions are against the principles of providing equal conditions for participating teams and may affect their technical preparation,” the federation said in a statement announcing its protest to FIFA on Friday.

Andrew Giuliani, director of the White House World Cup Task Force, told Britain’s The Telegraph that he would be open to renegotiating the terms of Iran’s entry into the United States.

He added that Washington might consider allowing Iran to hang around their games longer.

“Look, everything is dynamic, it can be discussed and we certainly want to create competitive fair play on the field, that’s why every team has a visa, has the opportunity to come,” he said in Seattle before the United States’ match against Australia. “The president wanted to ensure that this tournament achieves competitive balance, while also making sure that bad actors don’t destroy the country. We did that, a month before the game.”

Coach Ghalenoei said the disruptions affected his side’s 2-2 draw with New Zealand.

“According to the coach’s plan, the national team was supposed to travel to the home city two days before each match to achieve optimal technical and physical condition, and then return to their base the day after the match. However, for the first match against New Zealand, this request was not approved.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said security measures have been agreed upon with Iran, which faces Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles and will conclude Group G matches against Egypt on June 27 in Seattle.

“The boys will be allowed to arrive on the day of the match minus one, i.e. the day before the match. They will be asked to leave on the day the match ends, i.e. the night after the match,” said the ministry spokesman. “The president again wanted to make sure we talk about what’s actually happening on the field. There’s a lot to make sure things are safe and secure, not only around the stadium, but also around the base camps and training grounds.”