Iran is eliminated from the World Cup (Image: Allen J. Schaben, Los Angeles Times, Getty Images)
Iran is scheduled to return to Tehran on Wednesday after being eliminated from the World Cup. Despite remaining undefeated throughout the group stage, the team narrowly lost the tournament and returned home. Amir Galenoei’s side secured draws with Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand but missed out on a place in the round of 32 as one of the top eight teams in third place on goal difference.
During the final match against Egypt, Iranian defender Shojae Khalilzadeh thought he had sealed a place in the World Cup finals with a decisive goal late on, but his goal was disallowed. Against the backdrop of tensions between Iran and the United States, the team faced several challenges during the laudable World Cup. Their training base was originally planned to be in Tucson, Arizona, but was moved to Tijuana, Mexico just before the tournament. The arrangement required Iran to cross the border multiple times as all three games were played in the United States, but the team was forced to leave the country immediately after the match. Eleven members of the Iranian delegation were also denied U.S. visas.
Iran was allowed an extra day of preparation on U.S. soil for its final draw with Egypt, finishing ninth out of the third-place teams and ultimately being eliminated from the tournament. After leaving their home base in Mexico, the Iranian Islamic Football Federation announced that the team will arrive at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport on Wednesday, July 1 at 3:30pm (1pm UK time).
Following Iran’s exclusion, Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin publicly boasted about denying visas to members of the delegation. Iran coach Ghalenoei cited the travel difficulties faced by his team, previously revealing that his team was instructed to leave the United States after each game and go straight to their home base in Tijuana.
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“They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Galenoi said after the team’s opener against New Zealand. “After today’s game they told us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’
“It’s very important for us to have time to recover, but we’re being asked to get on a plane and go back to our camp in Tijuana, and that really bothers us. They’re delaying our arrival and forcing us to go home early without having time to recover.”
Iran scored a come-from-behind goal late in the match against Egypt. (Image: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
“They’re making things more and more difficult and giving us more hurdles, but that’s not going to stop us from doing our best. That’s why I think we’re the most oppressed team in the World Cup.”
Before Iran’s elimination was confirmed, captain Mehdi Taremi stressed that the visa refusal would affect the team in the second half of the tournament. “From the beginning, this is a disastrous World Cup,” Taremi said.
“So, FIFA, they have to solve all the problems here, but unfortunately, this was not solved from the beginning. Mr. Infantino () came to our changing room after the first game and he said: “But () the group stage ends tomorrow, and we don’t have logistics people here, they don’t have visas. How is it possible?”
After his team’s final group stage game, Galenoei added: “I know that (FIFA president) Infantino has done his best to minimize the problems as much as possible, but it was the organizers who were not so good for us. We urge the organizers not to treat teams and players the same way in the future. We hope that Infantino will actually stand up to such behavior.”
