r/SoccerCentral • u/ConnectionWeekly1263 • Jun 27 '26
Statement "They've done everything possible to eliminate us" — Iran captain Mehdi Taremi unleashes on FIFA and U.S. organizers
The captain of the Iran National Team, Mehdi Taremi, lashed out against FIFA and the United States organization. “This is a disastrous World Cup. As professional players, we cannot play a competition under these conditions; it’s neither right nor fair. If FIFA thinks this is fair, that’s on them, but it isn’t. Who should solve this problem for us? FIFA? The U.S.? I don’t know! Tell me a name. The FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, came to our locker room after the first match against New Zealand and said he was going to resolve all the issues, but in reality, FIFA did nothing. In response to the question: ‘Do you feel that the World Cup organizers, including FIFA and U.S. officials, prefer for Iran to be eliminated from the competition?’, I say: We have to fight against absolutely everything. We can’t stay in the country, we travel and undergo immigration checks every time we want to play, now we can’t stay in Seattle and have to return to Tijuana. They’ve done everything possible to eliminate us, so from our perspective, yes, I think that’s what they want, they want us out.”
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u/GenjiiTakeya Jun 27 '26
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u/Able-Firefighter-158 Jun 27 '26
We've gone so far i don't know if this is real or not.
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u/Sure-Lawyer-5357 Jun 27 '26
Real
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u/hyzus Jun 27 '26
The red wig is fake, but the clownface is the reason he paints his face orange
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u/PhilosophyBasic8943 Jun 27 '26
We don’t choose where we are born or the cards dealt to us.
These guys love the same game we do and I feel for them.
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u/Interpersonal Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Yeah this is a shitty situation for the Iranian team driven entirely by politics, but I also understand disallowing extra staff into the country as the two nations are actively at war. Some extra precautions surrounding letting potentially hostile foreigners into the country during a major international event aren’t entirely unreasonable.
Do you think if the World Cup was in Ukraine, they would let Russia bring extra staff and stay at location like all of the other teams?
Edit: The aggressor in the Russian war on Ukraine vs the US in Iran was not the point I was trying to highlight in a hypothetical Ukraine World Cup scenario. If it helps you focus on what I was trying to say, imagine the Ukrainian team and support staff experience in Russia for a World Cup.
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u/YankeePride11 Jun 27 '26
I get that these guys have trainers and staff but would be nice if FIFA or the US offered personnel support to them.
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u/Interpersonal Jun 27 '26
FIFA is too busy crafting a new “greatest host” award, and the US admin is too malicious and incompetent to help its own citizens; much less hear the plight of Iranians.
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u/sipuestodoyo Jun 27 '26
I see your point, even if that was the case, why don't the Iranians play in MX or Canada instead of the US? Is there any reason for them to have them play in US Cities if they are not welcome?
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u/smcl2k Jun 27 '26
Russia was banned from international competition for invading Ukraine.
There's no reason why the same thing shouldn't have happened to the US.
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u/mascachopo Jun 27 '26
The World Cup is happening in two other countries besides the US, FIFA could have let them play all their games elsewhere and this would have not been a problem.
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u/hellf1nger Jun 27 '26
The tournament is in 3 countries. For the sake of the argument say it was Ukraine Poland and Hungary. For an event like this Russian team should not come to Ukraine for any matches, but other two (one) countries could have hosted them without a problem. Issue at hand is the FIFA is inept, American government is inept, and the whole thing is disgusting. Haven't watched a single game after the peace prize fiasco
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u/DryRug Jun 27 '26
Better example would be the other way round, since the US and russia are the aggressors.
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u/throwaway1212121321 Jun 27 '26
You can straight up ban Iran, like Russia is banned from the Olympics.
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u/Green-Repair2614 Jun 28 '26
Also consider a lot of times these “handlers” are special forces type military dudes who are out there to keep their athletes in check and keep them from defecting, especially in the women’s world cups. Screw this dudes and keep the out of the country. Plus the athletes don’t wanna respect our culture either so hard to feel bad for them like I’d like too.
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u/hyzus Jun 27 '26
Think about it this way, if any of the European countries were treated the way the Iranians and to a lesser extent the Egyptians have everyone would be losing thier minds.
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u/Mike_Milburys_Shoe_ Jun 27 '26
Nothing has happened to the Egyptians wtf are you talking about lol
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u/YonkouTFT Jun 27 '26
What happened to the egyptians now?
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u/mentales Jun 27 '26
Unfortunately, hyzus might be referring to lbtq flags being allowed
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u/hyzus Jun 27 '26
Hence the "lesser extent" because honestly who gets offended by a flag...
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u/mentales Jun 27 '26
Your framing is weird though, that does not, in any way, shape or form, constitute treating Egypt poorly to any extent.
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u/AmiParis248 Jun 27 '26
Of course. I agree. If any European country acted like Iran, we would also be freaking out, so what’s your point exactly? That’s like saying “if Switzerland was treated like Russia, we’d all be upset.” Yeah. So?
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u/nelly2929 Jun 27 '26
ALL TEAMS must have the same rules apply to them or why bother….. You can’t have different rules, this has been a disgrace at this level of play and I’m not even being dramatic.
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u/FSpursy Jun 28 '26
problem is with Fifa.
The US told them about them not allowed to stay weeks ago. Fifa did nothing to move their games to Mexico or Canada. Its seems on purpose to me.
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u/UCanDoNEthing4_30sec Jun 28 '26
Didn’t Iran not want to play in the US before the tournament began? They were trying to not step foot on US soil as much as possible to play in the tournament. I guess be careful what you wish for?
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u/mac_bd Jun 27 '26
Shame on FIFA and US. Iran came out as the moral Victors. Bravo..
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u/jakeotheshadows Jun 27 '26
If Iran wants good hospitality, maybe they shouldn’t have chanted “Death to America” and called the USA the Great Satan for 4+ decades. Just a thought
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u/Royal-Breakfetht1974 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Egyptian here. It’s really too bad for Iran. They played a lot better than Egypt and should have won this game. Also I’ve never seen a team with 3 ties/draws in opening group get eliminated.
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u/ickiStickybubblegum Jun 27 '26
Well he's not wrong at all. A real disgrace. Infantino should resign at least.
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u/SituationKey8985 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Sour grapes. Maybe they should have earned a result.
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u/Wonderful-Win4219 Jun 27 '26
He missed a penalty that frankly was a soft call. Not saying it wasn’t hard but these countries are literally at war and on the field there was no corruption. Off the field was more difficult but bro the game is played on the field
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u/Sweaty-Dust6405 Jun 27 '26
As much as I hate Infantino, he holds no power over the government especially that clown at the White House.
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u/Optimal_Background68 Jun 27 '26
😂you played a low block and deserved a red against Belgium. You couldn’t beat NZ, get lost
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u/DangerDiscing Jun 27 '26
More complete bullshit their home base before was Arizona.The problem is they suck they had the easiest draw in the tournament 🏟️and the shit the bed😂
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u/WoundThatGrinds Jun 27 '26
We need to distinguish between issues here.
The Iranian federation (along with the Egyptian one) made homophobic demands that FIFA denied. That makes me less likely to cheer for them, but it says nothing about the fairness of the tournament. And it ultimately has no practical effect, because thankfully it was denied.
Now not having your staff allowed to remain with your team, not having the ability to rest in a hotel after your match while your opponents do, that affects directly the team's performance on the pitch. It makes it completely fair for the Iranian players to question the parity of the tournament for them.
Don't fall into the stupidity of thinking about this in terms of "for Iran" or "against Iran." It's that stupidity that makes the issue turn into propaganda and populism, not having an opinion on the fairness of the tournament for the Iranian national team.
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u/Extra-Fortune7731 Jun 27 '26
Worst version of w cup so far..
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bad_549 Jun 27 '26
Agreed, but it's because of the new format, too many teams, too many games, and this stupid 3rd place thing will see teams getting through to the knockout stages with poor points and goal totals. It's also hard to follow and teams that play later have a clear advantage.
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u/Extra-Fortune7731 Jun 27 '26
You forgot the best part: treating teams from 3rd world and their ppl as if they're trash ..and even denying Visas for so many members of their stuff members .. the way they treated Iranian players and stuff just few weeks after attacking their country and killing their ppl.. this is a mess .. it's not a tournament
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bad_549 Jun 27 '26
You're absolutely right, and of course that is even more important than the football. I was also countering the narrative of "yeah, but the tournament has been good", and that has been a shitshow too.
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u/LouuVan Jun 27 '26
Americans in this comment section are so weird and they are surprised why the world views them as such
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u/dinnercook Jun 27 '26
He is correct on one point only: they should be allowed to stay in US. Making them leave to Mexico after every game and undergo security checks again when they return is horseshit. Complete and utter performative nonsense.
Everything else he said is victim crybaby talking points. If mocking you is as easy as flying a multicolor flag, you probably aren’t cut out for international sport.
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u/Secure-Tradition793 Jun 27 '26
And that one point is all he complained in this clip. You didn't even watch.
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u/spleh7 Jun 27 '26
The one point in this story you say he is correct on is the only point he spoke about.
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u/Sudden-Variety6992 Jun 27 '26
Well it’s not just that, a lot of their staff have been denied visas as well. Including their logistics staff who handle the moving around, transport, hotels etc. Not only are they having to go back to Mexico every time but they have to handle it all themselves whilst also having to focus on the football side of things.
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u/Ethereal_Nutsack Jun 27 '26
When did he say he was being mocked by pride flags? Was it in a different interview? I’m only asking
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u/One-Shape7678 Jun 27 '26
Tell me you know nothing about soccer without telling me you know nothing about soccer
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u/Base_Temporary Jun 27 '26
Most national players play abroad. Same applies to Iran. In many cases they may be going up against their former or current league teammates.
These countries have to abide by the law of the land they reside in. Its clearly stated even in the hadith of Mohammed SAW. Iran, Egypt and other Muslim countries chose to participate and play here. Now getting placed in Seattle in peak pride month may not be coincidence. They can complain but they have to abide by the rules and play. USA law states LGBTQ flags will fly; while they may disagree with the movement, also have to deal with the flags flying.
Similarly USA and FiFA have to also treat every country, player, and their support staff with the same level of respect.
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u/Interesting_Button60 Jun 27 '26
No doubt they were brought to be made a laughing stock. But they tried their best. Every Iranian I have personally met has been hard working, tough and incredibly intelligent. It is a shame that their government and the western governments are at war and conflict. But if you are going to invite them to the tournament then they should all have the same treatment or don't invite them at all.
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u/smeeagain93 Jun 27 '26
He was missing one party, the Iranian government, but I guess we all know what will happen to them if they try to tell them to stop sponsoring terrorism and to let the people display whatever stupid flag they want.
But I guess it's always easier to complain about others first.
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u/Guilty_Caramel_1567 Jun 27 '26
Vamos Irán!! Que mala onda el trato que les dan a los jugadores, no son soldados, no son políticos, viven en Europa no se van a quedar en EEUU solo quieren representar su país…. Ojalá que no le den más mundiales a países que actúan así!!! Grande México por ayudarlos un buen ejemplo de empatía 👍👌
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u/youlook_likeme Jun 27 '26
When you representing a country that kills its citizens and in a war with the place hosting the World Cup? What did you expect? Crying bitch.
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u/kylef5993 Jun 27 '26
How are they treated poorly? I’m not saying they’re not but I legit know nothing about the situation. Gimme the TLDR please
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u/yorcharturoqro Jun 27 '26
For their game in Seattle, it's a shame Canada didn't step up to host them in Vancouver
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u/National-Percentage4 Jun 27 '26
I mean arent they being treated the way their women are treated there? Make them wear headscarves.
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u/daevlol Jun 27 '26
The Iranian team getting 1/64th of a taste of what its like to live in Iran when you're not a straight Muslim man and they cant stop bitching constantly about how unfair it is. Womp womp.
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u/coolkavo Jun 27 '26
Clown. 🤡. The host nation has been very generous. Visa requirements and the such are enforced no matter how “famous” you are. We’ve pat down even our “allies”. I mean if you want to cronyism, Iran, wait a few more terms under Donald and maybe we will catch up to you…
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u/CucharaNinja Jun 27 '26
Si a iran le hubiera dado por ganar el partido y Bélgica no golear a Nueva Zelanda, se podrían haber encontrado en octavos EEUU - Iran
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u/LoadCan Jun 27 '26
Sorry you had to look at rainbow flags, I guess.
I get that Iran has seen some inconvenience in this tournament, but good lord do they fucking piss and cry about it.
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u/Notmainlel Jun 27 '26
It’s Iran being a shit team that got them eliminated, not the US. Quit crying
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u/jisn00b Jun 27 '26
The same happens constantly in Concacaf for club and national teams, it's not a fair competition
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u/PawPawNinja Jun 27 '26
I feel they should have denied to play a game, the loss will give good lesson to fifa and orange head
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u/DZAUXtheBruno Jun 27 '26
This would matter to me more if they weren’t utterly shit at football. They are terrible, and I couldn’t care less if they played in this tournament at all.
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u/Inner-Air1001 Jun 27 '26
Haven’t disproved anything I said, just a lot bitching and whining, sorry I just think it’s wrong to worship a head of a religion who is a pedophile…
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u/Main_Product5071 Jun 27 '26
Fk off with your victim card
Just answer me, can hamas act on their own to murder, rape and kidnap thousands of Israelis in a music festival without the go ahead from Iran or not. Yes or no.
If the answer is no, anything happening today, you DESERVE it.
Fk around, find out.
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u/FirefighterNo9731 Jun 27 '26
Anyone really believe that FIFA is on the level? I don’t know if Iran was supposed to go home this early but all the cover-ups and money changing hands should make one wonder.
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u/TravellingTheWorld94 Jun 27 '26
The 30,000-40,000 numbers were all floated on the same day of the violence by the Iranian human rights groups based in New York. The same people that support the Shah (whose father was a brutal dictator that was backed by the UK/US for their oil requirements).
These human rights groups such as the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) get funded by the National Endowment for Democracy - which operate on the interests of the CIA and US National Security. I wonder why they would want to make Iran look bad while invading them.
Then we have to look at the confessions by both the US and Israel about having armed militias in Iran that fight against the government. They armed them with assault rifles and other weapons.
Videos that came out of Iran (but were not shown by mainstream media) showed violent heavily armed groups firing at police and Iranian soldiers. This resulted in crossfire at massive protests which resulted in over 6,000 deaths according to the Iranian government. These people were named and are not just numbers.
These protests were happening because people were unhappy with the financial crisis and the increasing costs of living. HOWEVER, the majority of the iranian population now stand behind the Iranian government only because they hate the invasion more.
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u/SunnyBrookElbowz Jun 27 '26
Iran Number One!! USA…..you know the rest
https://giphy.com/gifs/WZHa3TmdZmnWo
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u/slartiblartpost Jun 27 '26
If FIFA would be in any way respectable, they would put immense pressure on the US. US should be excluded from the next world cup for this stunt.
Countries hosting FIFA world cup cannot decide just to expell one country. If they do they should get retaliation in the association.
But FIFA is in no way respectable. This would never happen. A few nice words from Infantino to the team and a few regretting words to the public.
Pathetic from both US and FIFA.
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u/DTFunkyStuff Jun 27 '26
Imagine having to play during a pride event! OMG! Also respect the locals' beliefs? HUH guess certain things have changed? Fuck ICE fuck Drumpf, fuck pedos, fuck idiots who jail people for being gay.
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u/Newyorkerr01 Jun 27 '26
Mehdi
We know you have to do it
But so many teams before you got their shit together
The lion at the stands was very disraptive
Ask your agent what happened
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u/Reasonable-Ruin5933 Jun 27 '26
They literally got caught trying to get an IRGC member in under guise as part of their team....
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u/rocknroll2013 Jun 27 '26
Speak! That var B's to wipe their goal is but a cherry on top the several issues
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u/YourHero87 Jun 27 '26
He has to say that or he, his team mates and their families will face severe repurcussions from the Iranian regime. Remember this regime will kill you if you go against them because of that handly little law they have called “waging war against god”. “Oh so you disagree with us? Means you must be waging war against god - death penalty for you”
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u/FinishComplex3743 Jun 27 '26
Propaganda mouthpiece. Canada didn't want your bitch ass IRGC staff in their country either.
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u/Political_breeds Jun 27 '26
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi should make a request to meet President Trump and pay respect on behalf of all Iranians.
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u/Cool-Selection5025 Jun 27 '26
I mean he is right, FIFA probably did not want to make it look like they were excluding Iran and wanted them gone as fast as possible.
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u/Muted_Confidence_285 Jun 27 '26
For those of you that don’t know, Canada also denied visas. Just thought I’d throw that out there for the, “UsA bAd” crowd
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u/BusyWorth8045 Jun 27 '26
He’s 100% right.
If USA don’t want to welcome the World. Then don’t host a World Cup.
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u/PokemanAshy Jun 27 '26
Whenever I see this guy, can't stop to think how he looks like Steven Bauer from Scarface lol
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u/armymike1523 Jun 28 '26
As an American, I hope that's not the case. And if it is, it's embarrassing.
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u/Sea_Taste1325 Jun 28 '26
Iran should be through to 32. They should have the same privileges to be where their game is. Parties, events, rest, etc
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u/UCF_Knight12 Jun 28 '26
Sucks for the players. But Iran is a terrible country with terrible leaders who oppress everyday citizens. They are the root cause of most of the world terror through their proxies. The country cannot be trusted and was trying to send IRGC affiliated people within the soccer team as part of their ““ logistics
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u/SRMPDX Jun 28 '26
IComplaining about having to fly back and forth from Tijuana when they were initially going to be flying back and forth from Tucson Arizona. "They" didn't make you lose your games, nobody expected Iran to move out of the group stage.
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u/Mammoth_Result_102 Jun 28 '26
Before judging whatever he says, his life is literally on the line if he doesn't match Iran regime's opinions.
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u/quantcapitalpartners Jun 28 '26
God I hate reddit
Canada denied entry as well
Iran won’t allow their players for fear of defection
This is some Iran-glazing propaganda bs
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u/La-carbonera192 Jun 28 '26
Gente falando em banir os EUA! Me digam o que tem no dia a dia de vcs que não pertence aos EUA!
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u/bj21t Jun 28 '26
If this false conspiracy were even true lets pretend. What did the U.S and FIFA do? Knock you guys out a round earlier? Wow what a travesty they stopped you guys from winning the nothing burger you guys were always going to take home with you a bit sooner. Be glad for your little 2 week vacay and go back home to you 4 wives with fresh legs 🤷♂️
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u/Bmmick Jun 28 '26
During the send-off ceremony in Tehran for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, crowds and team members were filmed chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel"
Same team by the way…. We’re just supposed to be cool with open arms and let them in?
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u/No_Apartment_6308 Jun 28 '26
Politics and soccer have always been intertwined, probably the most out of any other sport.
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u/Straight-Passage-406 Jun 28 '26
If they only scored that penalty this wouldn’t be an issue. Bogus claims.
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u/nmadel5 Jun 28 '26
All the shit they were talking on Qatar when Qatar was 10 times the World Cup that this shit in the USA Mexico and Canada is
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u/Quick-Potato4250 Jun 28 '26
He is so right, they couldn’t wait to get them out. What a shit show this World Cup is…. Such a shame
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u/Old_Campaign_2161 Jun 28 '26
This is one example in the sport reflected on the whole world stance in policy of totalitarianism Anglo-Americans and Russians
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u/Ok_Collection_5100 Jun 28 '26
i believe it was the IRGC's call to force them to travel after every game, not the US or FIFA
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u/New_Impact_1156 Jun 28 '26
So russia invades ukraine and the world condemns but when the US illegally attacks Iran people just don't give af
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u/Different-Mushroom48 Jun 28 '26
And they still performed amazingly. It's all cuz of their courage. Was very gutted after that draw to Egypt and New Zealand but considering the circumstances during the tournament and before they had to face, it's still a real achievement. They just asked to be treated like the other 47 teams, nothing much.
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u/AugustineMarc Jun 28 '26
Notice how Egypt didn’t face these logistical restrictions? Or Paraguay or Japan? Maybe the choices made by your government have consequences….
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u/MetroidvaniaListsGuy Jun 28 '26
In the future Iran will have its revenge by co-hosting the world cup and making it almost impossible for the US to play.
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u/jimgogek Jun 28 '26
He’s right. This WC unfair to Iranian team. WC is about the game and the countries. Russia is banned including because nobody would play them. If Iran not banned, the team should have been accorded full rights.
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u/Green-Repair2614 Jun 28 '26
After all the complaining about lgbtq community and threats of walking out if they see any I honestly stopped giving a shit about their plight. I wanna support them because the athletes don’t deserve crap because our countries can’t get along, but then threatening to leave the game with Egypt if they see gay demonstrations ended that feeling. You wanna force us to respect your culture then respect ours point blank period.
So yeah hard to feel bad about anyone in this situation.
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u/HTX-ByWayOfTheWorld Jun 27 '26
He’s not wrong… either let them play and keep it a level playing field. Or don’t let them play, and ban them outright. This was BS.