Iran captain Mehdi Taremi has strongly criticised FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, over what he described as poor logistical planning during his country’s FIFA World Cup campaign, saying the team has faced significant travel and visa-related challenges throughout the tournament.
The striker spoke after Iran’s 0-0 draw with Egypt in Seattle on Friday, a result that left the side third in Group G.
Iran must now wait for the outcome of Saturday’s remaining group fixtures to discover whether they have done enough to progress to the round of 32 as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Following the match, the Iranian squad was due to return to its tournament base in Tijuana, Mexico, continuing a demanding travel schedule that has attracted criticism from the team’s players.
Iran had originally planned to establish its training base in Tucson, Arizona. However, those plans were abandoned in late May after escalating tensions between the United States and Iran prompted the team to relocate to neighbouring Mexico.
Despite the move, the squad has continued to travel across the US for matches, with Taremi saying the arrangement has created unnecessary difficulties.
He also claimed that several members of the team’s logistics staff were unable to join the squad because they had not been granted visas.
“We don’t have our logistics people here. They don’t have a visa,” Taremi told reporters after the match. “How is it possible we always have to travel from Tijuana? We love the people in Tijuana. We love Mexico, but as professional players in a professional competition, it’s not right,” he added.
Taremi said, “Infantino visited the Iranian dressing room after the team’s opening match against New Zealand and assured players that efforts would be made to improve the situation.”
According to the captain, however, the problems have continued throughout the group stage.
The forward also questioned whether FIFA was providing Iran with equal treatment compared with other competing nations, suggesting the team had been left without the recovery and logistical support expected at a tournament of this level.
Taremi’s criticism came on a frustrating evening for the striker, who missed a first-half penalty as Iran failed to break the deadlock against Egypt. With qualification no longer entirely in their own hands, the team’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage now depend on results elsewhere.
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