'It's a disaster World Cup!' - Iran captain blasts FIFA and Gianni Infantino over 'unfair' World Cup treatment as coach urges football to 'stand up' to USA
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi has criticised FIFA and president Gianni Infantino over what he described as a disaster World Cup, accusing organisers of failing to resolve ongoing logistical and visa issues. Head coach Amir Ghalenoei also called on FIFA to stand up to the tournament hosts after claiming his side had been treated unfairly.
The squad has been affected by visa issues that prevented 11 senior officials from joining the team, while repeated travel between their base in Tijuana and matches in the United States has created significant logistical challenges. Taremi said FIFA had failed to resolve the problems despite assurances from president Infantino after Iran's opening match against New Zealand.
Speaking after the match, Taremi questioned FIFA's handling of Iran's situation. "FIFA they have to solve every problem here but unfortunately they could not solve it since the beginning. Mr Infantino came to our changing room after the first game against New Zealand and said it's just the beginning," he said.
The captain highlighted the absence of key logistics and recovery staff. "We don't have our logistic people here - they don't have a visa. How is it possible we always have to travel from Tijuana? It's not fair. Our opinion is it's not fair," Taremi stated, adding "We don't have recovery or logistic people to help us."
Head coach Ghalenoei directed his criticism toward the United States as co-host. The team was forced to switch training base from Arizona to Mexico just before the tournament due to the military conflict between the U.S. and Iran, a move the coaching staff believes has compromised their physical recovery.
"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," Ghalenoei said. He added that their treatment had been "really terrible" and expressed hope that "the world will be aware of that," noting the hosts "didn't let us come two weeks earlier and two days earlier before every game."