The Iranian football team were forced to leave the U.S. immediately after their 2-2 World Cup group stage draw with New Zealand.
Iranian coach Amir Ghalenoei said U.S. officials ordered the team to leave the country after the match yesterday, and was quoted calling his team the “most repressed team in the whole World Cup.” The Iranians have now returned to their training camp in Tijuana.
Ghalenoei claimed the plan was originally to remain in the U.S. before leaving for Mexico today.
Despite having all three of their group games played in the U.S., Donald Trump‘s administration has refused to let Iran stay in the country between matches. Around 13 members of Iran’s coaching staff were refused entry into the U.S., amid a politically charged atmosphere.
The U.S. and Iran have agreed a deal to end the war between them, per President Trump, the Iranian government and negotiator Pakistan, but the bad blood between the countries remains.
Prior to the New Zealand game, many Iranian fans flew pre-revolutionary flags, which symbolize their opposition to the regime in Tehran.
A few hundred fans, many of whom are Iranian-Americans, were reported to have protested against the national team, claiming it represents the Iranian regime’s Islamic beliefs rather than the sports team. Some sung the country’s pre-revolutionary anthem.
World Cup organizer FIFA has banned the pre-revolutionary flag inside stadiums as part of its shaky commitment to keeping the tournament non-political. However, it was seen in stadium during the match and on fans’ t-shirts.
The match itself saw Iran twice come from behind to draw 2-2 with New Zealand in their Group G match.
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