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06/16 00:07 CDT Iran coach says team ordered out of US right after 2-2 draw
with New Zealand in World Cup opener
Iran coach says team ordered out of US right after 2-2 draw with New Zealand in
World Cup opener
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) --- The coach of Iran's World Cup team said it was
ordered to leave the U.S. and return to its training base in Mexico only a few
hours after opening its politically charged tournament by playing to a 2-2 draw
with New Zealand on Monday night.
Coach Amir Ghalenoei didn't say who ordered the Iranians to leave earlier than
planned. The team had expected to spend the night in California to maximize the
normal recovery process after its opening game, only to be told after the match
that everyone must immediately get on a plane for the 140-mile trip back to
Tijuana.
"They didn't even give us time to recover," Ghalenoei said through an
interpreter. "After the game today, they said to us, ?You have to leave
immediately.' It's very important for us to have time for recovery, (but) we
are asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are
really troubled by that."
The Iranians' World Cup cycle has been in upheaval since the U.S. and Israel
began a war against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran ultimately decided to compete even
after FIFA rejected its request to move its three group-stage matches out of
the U.S.
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi said the team endured five hours of travel and
security checks during what's normally a very short trip from Tijuana to the
Los Angeles area on Sunday.
"We don't know why they are returning us, to be honest," Ghalenoei said. "I
think it's very strange. It seems like others are doing the planning for us.
The decision-making for us is being made elsewhere. We were supposed to come
two nights before the game, and we were supposed to stay tonight to recover and
return tomorrow at lunchtime. We have no idea why.
"I think our team is perhaps the most oppressed in the World Cup."
Taremi and Ghalenoei both decried the team's lack of many important staff
members --- including the president of Iran's football federation, coaching
support personnel and media officials --- who were denied visas by the U.S.,
amplifying the team's difficult preparations.
"We have to leave Los Angeles right now, and it's not good for us," Taremi said
about an hour after the match. "I think FIFA have to help us more than this.
... Everything is like a disaster, actually, for us."
Ghalenoei said several players developed cramps during the game, which was
played in mild conditions. He attributed the injury problems to the lack of
proper preparation time caused by Iran's bureaucratic and diplomatic obstacles.
"Before the game, I said we haven't had time to adjust because of the travel,"
Ghalenoei said. "Many of our players, they had cramps, and that's why we had to
substitute them. So it wasn't for technical reasons that we made substitutions.
It was because of the injury and because of the cramp. They will be examined
(Tuesday) by our technical staff, but the fact they delayed our arrivals and
they are forcing us to go back early without time for recovery, they are making
the situation more difficult."
The Iranians' remaining two games in group stage play are against Belgium in
Inglewood on Sunday, followed by a trip to Seattle to face Egypt next week.
Iran opened its World Cup with a disappointing draw to a team ranked 65 places
lower in FIFA's rankings. Yet the Iranians also overcame two deficits in an
exciting match, getting the tying goal from Mohammad Mohebi in the 64th minute
before a strongly pro-Iranian crowd at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles, which has
the world's largest population of Iranians outside Iran.
The game was played in a crackling atmosphere created in part by a conflicted,
diasporic fan base which remains furious with the current Iranian government,
but is still largely supportive of Team Melli.
While several hundred Iranian Americans protested the government outside, many
fans from the diaspora jeered and turned their backs on the field during the
national anthem. Dozens of Lion and Sun emblems --- the centerpiece of Iran's
official flag before 1979 --- were displayed in the crowd despite FIFA's
attempts to keep them away, while dozens more fans wore the Lion and Sun
emblems on T-shirts.
Yet the vast majority of the crowd vocally supported the Iranian players once
the match kicked off.
"It was an incredible atmosphere in the game, all 90 minutes," Taremi said. "It
was like at home for us."
Elijah Just scored early in each half for New Zealand, but Iran responded twice
with a pair of beautiful goals, including Mohebi's header off a perfect pass
from Ramin Rezaeian, who had scored off the side of his boot in the first half.
Mohebi appeared to mime the shooting of a gun after his goal, setting off
criticism online. He also made the now-ubiquitous "ice in my veins" gesture
originated 10 miles away from SoFi Stadium by Los Angeles Lakers rookie
D'Angelo Russell a decade ago, before he held up a heart to the cheering fans.
"The Iranians who live in Los Angeles, they make a great atmosphere," Mohebi
said. "That celebration, it comes in the mind, and I did like this" ---
motioning to his arm --- "for all the fans. Just a celebration."
Players from both teams embraced and shook hands after the final whistle, with
at least one jersey swap occurring. While Ghalenoei sat by himself in the
dugout, his players gathered together and walked around the field applauding
their remaining thousands of flag-shaking, roaring fans.
Both of Iran's next two matches are tougher on paper, endangering their chances
of getting out of the World Cup group stage for the first time. Iran, Belgium,
Egypt and New Zealand have one point apiece after the opening round.
"We're facing more hurdles, but we're not going to let that stop us from doing
our best," Ghalenoei said. "I think today was one of the best games in the
World Cup so far, and I think the fans really enjoyed it inside the stadium and
outside the stadium."
___
Associated Press writer Amy Taxin and AP Sports Writer Beth Harris contributed
to this report.
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
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