WASHINGTON: In a dazzling display of footballing resilience, Iran’s national football team managed a creditable 2-2 draw against New Zealand in Los Angeles. It was a remarkable feat, considering the squad was operating under a logistical itinerary seemingly designed by Franz Kafka and implemented by the Department of Homeland Security.Iran is far from alone in its grievances. A dark cloud of institutional paranoia hangs over the tournament. Multiple visiting teams, including Uruguay and Senegal, have complained about heavy-handed policing, oppressive and intrusive security measures, and restrictive movements that leave players feeling less like elite athletes and more like high-value detainees.
‘The World Cup is a disaster for us. We don’t want to make excuses, it’s not a fair competition’
Applause for Iran’s tenacity had barely faded before Team Melli’s players found themselves in a different scramble altogether: a frantic dash to the airport.Iran’s head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, did not mince words after the match, revealing that instead of spending the night in LA recovering, his squad was instructed to board a flight back to their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, immediately after the final whistle. “They didn’t even give us time to recover. After the game today, they told us to leave immediately,” he said. Lamented striker Mehdi Taremi. “The World Cup is a disaster for us. We don’t want to make excuses, but it’s not a fair competition.”
Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei. (AP Photo)
In most World Cups, footballers cool down with ice baths and tactical briefings. Iran’s recovery programme apparently consists of locating passports, removing belts for security checks, and wondering whether their carry-on luggage exceeds the permitted weight. The pre-game warm-up, someone joked, did not consist of tactical drills or hamstring stretches, but rather a three-hour seminar on how to maintain composure while US agents scrutinise biometric data. The sheer psychological stress of navigating US immigration twice in 24 hours made a high-press defensive line from New Zealand look like a casual Sunday stroll.Yet if the journey was exhausting, the match itself was enthralling. Played in LA, home to one of the world’s largest Persian diasporas, the game unfolded against a politically charged backdrop. Some Iranian supporters waved the prerevolutionary Lion and Sun flag associated with opponents of the current regime. Others backed Team Melli unreservedly.There were reports of flags being confiscated, fans sewing together different pieces of the banned emblem inside the stadium, and emotional confrontations in the stands. Iran’s national anthem at the start of the game was met by both jeers and cheers.In a striking irony, the match took place shortly after the US and Iran had emerged from direct military confrontation. Yet on American soil, Iranians criticised their own government freely, monarchists unfurled forbidden symbols with remarkable ingenuity, and the Iranian team itself, seeking to rise above politics, received affection from tens of thousands of spectators.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino (AP Photo)
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, a Trump acolyte, visited Iran’s dressing room after the game to offer words of comfort and encouragement. “You are writing history and the whole world is watching you,” he told the players. “You are stronger than anything.” Kind words, although players may have preferred confirmation that they could spend the night in Los Angeles.Unsurprisingly, the Iranian delegation reserved their highest praise not for FIFA or Washington, but for Mexico. Team officials lauded the Mexican government for protecting and accommodating them, its hospitality a sharp contrast to the US which is being accused of acting less like a festive host and more like an overly paranoid bouncer at an exclusive nightclub.Several other teams have been at the receiving end. Videos circulated showing Senegalese players being individually searched upon arrival in the US, generating accusations online of discriminatory treatment compared with European teams. The absolute zenith of this bureaucratic dysfunction was reached when a Somali referee, officially appointed by FIFA to officiate matches, was flatly denied entry into the U. S and summarily sent back on the next available flight. Last heard, he was blowing the political whistle in Mogadishu.This grim, fortress-like impression is further compounded by the sight of swathes of empty seats in several iconic stadiums. American organisers, miscalculating the intersection of public enthusiasm and rampant capitalism, priced tickets well out of the reach of ordinary working fans. FIFA promised a festival of global unity; occasionally it has resembled an exclusive Broadway production where the cheapest seats cost more than a month’s wages in some countries.
