AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): AFP reported that Iranian football officials are highly dissatisfied with the strict entry regulations imposed by the United States and believe that these restrictions have affected the national team's preparation process for the World Cup.
According to the report, the Iranian national team, which has set up its camp in Tijuana, Mexico, has faced restrictions from the U.S. government for its travel to Los Angeles for the group stage match against Belgium. Iran intended to enter Los Angeles two days before the match to have sufficient time to adapt to the conditions and conduct final training sessions, but this request was denied.
A spokesperson for the Iranian Football Federation criticized this decision, stating that the team's preparation plan had been submitted to the organizing officials well in advance, but the imposed restrictions have prevented the technical staff from executing their schedule accordingly. He emphasized that given the match is scheduled for 12:00 PM local time, arriving at the match venue two days earlier was a necessity, and for this reason, Iran will file a protest with FIFA through official channels.
This is not Iran's first grievance during the competition. Following a 2-2 draw against New Zealand in the opening match, the national team was also forced to leave Los Angeles that same night and return to its camp in Mexico, an issue that, from the Iranian officials' perspective, has made the recovery and preparation process more difficult.
The AFP report also referred to other problems Iran has faced during the World Cup. The national team had initially planned to set up its camp in Tucson, Arizona, but was forced to relocate to Tijuana on the Mexican border before the tournament began. Additionally, visas for entry into the United States were not issued for up to 11 members of the Iranian delegation, a situation that, in the team's view, has added off-field problems to their technical challenges.
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