Iran prepares formal complaint
Iran’s football federation is preparing an official complaint to FIFA over travel restrictions it says have disrupted the national team’s World Cup campaign.
According to TV 2 Sport, citing AFP, Iran are unhappy that the team have not been allowed to follow the preparation plan submitted before the tournament. The dispute centres on the squad’s movement between their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, and the United States, where all three of Iran’s group-stage matches are being played.
Iran had asked to travel from Tijuana to the Los Angeles area two days before Sunday’s match against Belgium at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. That request was denied. Instead, the team are only permitted to arrive in the United States the day before the match.
The Belgium game is scheduled for Sunday at 12:00pm local time in California
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A difficult start to the tournament
Iran’s preparations have already been affected by visa issues and logistical disruption. The team had originally planned to base themselves in Tucson, Arizona, but later moved their camp to Tijuana because of complications linked to U.S. entry rules.
After Iran’s opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand in Inglewood on Monday, the team were told to leave the United States and return to Mexico only a few hours after the final whistle. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei said the squad had expected to stay overnight in California to recover.
According to CBS News, which carried AP reporting, Ghalenoei said the decision had left the team frustrated.
“They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Ghalenoei said 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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Iran captain Mehdi Taremi was also critical of the conditions around the team.
“We have to leave Los Angeles right now, and it’s not good for us,” Taremi said. “I think FIFA have to help us more than this. Everything is like a disaster, actually, for us.”
U.S. officials reject criticism
U.S. officials have rejected the suggestion that Iran were treated unexpectedly or unfairly, saying the entry conditions had been made clear in advance.
According to The Associated Press, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Iran had been told how the process would work.
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“We were clear this was the process,” Giuliani said.
He also said Iran would be allowed to enter the United States the day before each match and would have to leave again after the game.
“The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match. They’ll be asked to leave the day that the match wraps up, so the evening of the match,” Giuliani said.
Federation says conditions are unequal
Iran’s federation argues that the restrictions are not compatible with equal treatment of all teams at the tournament.
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According to The Guardian, the federation said the limitations “are inconsistent with the principle of providing equal conditions for all participating teams and may negatively affect teams’ preparation processes.”
The federation added that it would “formally express its dissatisfaction and lodge an official complaint with FIFA through the appropriate channels.”
Despite the dispute, Iran are expected to continue their preparations for Belgium. The match is an important one in Group G after Iran opened with a draw against New Zealand.
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