US Secretary of Homeland Security rubs salt in Iran’s national team’s wounds after suffering World Cup loss
Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullin was happy to kick Iran out after withdrawing from the World Cup
The US security chief held a knife to Iran, claiming that he danced with joy upon learning that Iran was eliminated from the World Cup. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin boasted of his relief when his ESTA visa to enter the United States was revoked and further mocked that he “maybe did a happy dance.”
Iran ended up in a 1-1 draw with Egypt, leaving their fate in the hands of other teams. The match ended controversially, with the winning goal from substitute Shoja Khalilzadeh in stoppage time being ruled out by VAR, and the winning goal in the closing stages disallowed.
Animated graphics appeared to show a very close call that could have been decided by a matter of millimeters, with questions raised about the validity of the measurements made by the semi-automatic VAR system.
With this draw, all three games in Group G have been drawn, leaving them in third place with three points. However, due to their neutral goal difference, they missed out on 3rd place in the mini standings, and Senegal ended up in the top spot with a +2 goal difference.
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Their fate was sealed when Iran itself did not even take to the pitch. Instead, a 3-3 draw between Algeria and Austria, with Sasa Karadzic scoring the equalizer in the 95th minute, eliminated Iran from the competition.
As many soccer fans expressed their sadness for the Asian nation, Homeland Security Secretary Marin told reporters: “I’m really glad they’re over and they’re not coming back.
“I was so happy when I was able to get their visas and be allowed to leave the U.S. mainland. So I sang a song or two and maybe did a happy dance.”
He added: “There was no team we had to spend more time responding to than Iran.”
Iran had the painful experience of finishing 3rd in their group and being eliminated from the World Cup.
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This comes after multiple people in Iran complained about the treatment of the national team, players and staff during the Tripartite Tournament. Head coach Amir Galenoei said his team was “the most suppressed” in the tournament due to the conflict between the United States and Israel.
Iran’s training base was changed from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico, before the start of the World Cup, and they faced travel restrictions throughout the tour. They were the only team scheduled to play on U.S. soil to be asked to leave immediately.
Galenoi lamented the “very unfair” treatment his team received from the American hosts, explaining that the team was given “less than half the training period” they needed to prepare. Iran captain Mehdi Taremi agreed, saying: “This kind of tension spoils the fun of the World Cup. I felt the tension from the first moment I arrived.”
Marin’s comments are unlikely to defuse tensions anytime soon, especially after Iranian Ambassador Abolfazl Pasandide raised concerns of plots against his country on the pitch. In a lengthy statement to Politico, Abolfazl Pasandide criticized the “pseudo-VAR” intervention, claiming that Iran was battling “fatigue, fraud and the hardships of rarely appearing in front of the cameras.”
“Perhaps some of the balls fell just a few centimeters short of bringing joy to millions of Iranians. Those centimeters were not even measured by the linesman’s flag, but were magnified by the intervention of the ‘pseudo-VAR’,” Pasandide wrote. “But nothing can weaken your determination.
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