Iran captain Mehdi Taremi has launched a scathing attack on FIFA, alleging that World Cup organizers would prefer to see his team eliminated from the 2026 tournament. The remarks came after Iran's dramatic 1-1 draw with Egypt in Seattle, a match dubbed the 'Pride Match,' where a last-gasp winner was ruled out for offside.
Taremi calls World Cup a 'disaster'
Following Iran's opening draw against New Zealand, Taremi described the World Cup as a 'disaster,' and he reiterated those claims on Friday. 'We always complain about these things since the beginning, it's a disaster World Cup. A disaster,' he said. 'As professional players in a professional competition, it's not right... it's not fair... if it's fair for FIFA, okay good for them. But it's not fair. Who wants to help us... no one helps. No one.'
Taremi also criticized FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who visited Iran's locker room after the first game. '[Infantino] came to our locker room the first game and said we will solve every problem here, but actually FIFA did nothing,' Taremi claimed.
Visa issues and relocation to Mexico
Iran's World Cup campaign has been plagued by off-field issues. After the outbreak of war with the US and Israel earlier this year, around a dozen members of Iran's delegation were denied visas to America. The team was forced to move its training base to Mexico. Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei said, 'The USA's behavior towards us has been really terrible, and we hope the world will be aware of that.'
During a press conference in Seattle, Taremi was asked whether he felt organizers—including FIFA and US authorities—wanted Iran knocked out. 'We have to fight against everything here. I don't know if people want that or not, but as we see it by our perspective, yeah, they are like that, I think,' he responded.
Group G standings and Iran's hopes
The 1-1 draw means Belgium and Egypt qualify automatically from Group G. Iran are odds on to join them as one of the top eight third-place teams, but they must wait for other results. 'I feel sad, but we have hope,' Taremi said, complaining that players have to return to Tijuana after matches. 'We always do our best. We play for our people. We want them to be happy because we want to bring the joy. We want to send a message of peace for the people in Iran, outside of Iran, for FIFA, for everyone. But there is no peace about the others to us.'
