Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei expressed his dissatisfaction with a sudden change to his team’s itinerary after Iran drew 2-2 with New Zealand in its FIFA World Cup Group G opener on Tuesday (IST).
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ghalenoei said his team was unexpectedly informed that it had to return to Mexico immediately after the match in Los Angeles.
According to Ghalenoei, the team had earlier been told it could remain in the United States until Tuesday afternoon, but the itinerary changed as soon as the match ended.
“After the game, they told us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’ We have been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that,” Ghalenoei told reporters.
“They are forcing us to go back early. They are making the situation more difficult by creating additional hurdles, but we’re not going to let that stop us from doing our best,” he added.
The coach also claimed that Iran had faced several difficulties in its preparations for the tournament.
“We were supposed to arrive two nights before the game, but we were not permitted to do so. We were supposed to stay here tonight to recover and return at lunchtime. I think our team is the most disadvantaged at this World Cup. Our federation isn’t here, our media isn’t here and our management isn’t here,” he said.
Iran striker Mehdi Taremi described the situation as a “disaster”.
“It’s causing a lot of stress for the players and staff. We are tired of this situation. It’s very difficult, and it affects our team,” he said.
Iran’s involvement in the World Cup has been marked by uncertainty linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and related security concerns.
Meanwhile, FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited the Iran dressing room after the match against New Zealand and held discussions with team officials.
Iran’s travel concerns could continue during the remainder of the group stage. Their next Group G match against Belgium is also scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
The team will have to travel back to the United States later this week before returning to Los Angeles for the fixture.
-IANS
