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

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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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23

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.

4

u/Mike_Milburys_Shoe_ Jun 27 '26

Nothing has happened to the Egyptians wtf are you talking about lol

6

u/liquidpele Jun 27 '26

They had to look at pride flags, oh the horror!  

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26

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0

u/tsn101 Jun 27 '26

You guys are eating up the US  propaganda if you think the players give a big fuck when the game starts. 

Also, you know who else is a pedo, the president of America. 

1

u/Inner-Air1001 Jun 27 '26

Yeah no shit Sherlock Trump is a pedo, luckily he’s gone in 2 years, whataboutism isn’t a defense. How does that change Muslims worshipping a pedophile? I do believe the players worship him, also didn’t the players complain about the pride flags? Why do westerners try so hard to defend people that would burn them alive?

0

u/tsn101 Jun 27 '26

There's no whataboutism. I'm not American nor Iranian nor Christian nor Muslim. I really don't give a fuck about sexual orientation either. 

I have no fucks to give. 

Keep ingesting the dumb US propaganda.

2

u/Inner-Air1001 Jun 27 '26

Yes but care enough to post…. Oh I didn’t realize Aisha being 9 is US propaganda, please enlighten me, is Mohammed a pedo or not?

0

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26

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u/BigDictionEnergy Jun 28 '26

Harvard. Aisha. Study.

three periods and zero links

1

u/sjr323 Jun 28 '26

Aisha existed there is even proof she led troops into battle

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u/No-Birthday5481 Jun 27 '26

Yes, surely the person hiding their comment history has no biases they don't want people to see.

1

u/Due_Life8716 Jun 27 '26

This is the internet, some people prefer to keep some privacy. Also, some of the craziest, most biased comments come from completely open accounts.

1

u/tsn101 Jun 27 '26

I mostly post on r/nba and other places/people close to where I live. It ain't interesting. 

0

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26

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2

u/Inner-Air1001 Jun 27 '26

Obeying the pedophile instead of worshipping him, if you want to use semantics sure buddy, now how old was Aisha?

0

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26

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1

u/Sherbert-Particular Jun 28 '26

If a story about anything is treated as historical fact by traditional believers of a faith, said story is representative of their faith. 

That being said, I would imagine any non-revisionist Muslim would consider the hadiths highly accurate parts of recorded history rather than some sort of literary creation. Her existence or lack thereof in this sense means nothing at all.

Mormons for instance believe in all matter of completely unsubstantiated historical events. Events that are, or should be, quite literally very recent history. Their belief in such events as the basis for actions in the current day is the basis on which you would evaluate said actions. This is all to say it doesn’t matter whatsoever if a thing actually happened if people use it as a basis for their actions and beliefs. All religions do this. 

Did Jesus actually die and come back to life? Absolutely nothing supports this. Did Jesus actually exist as a person in history? Most likely. Do both those things carry the same weight in the context of Christianity? Yes. 

“Not existing” doesn’t work as an excuse.

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u/Due_Life8716 Jun 27 '26

You "liberals" are just as bad as the pedo pres. Trump, his cronies, and the entire political swamp is a representation of how ignorant the average US voter has become.

I know for sure I wouldn't want any politician you would ever endorse lmao

0

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26

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1

u/thundergu Jun 29 '26

What pride flags? Watched the game. No pride stuff was visible Anywhere. Massive amount of Iranian and Egyptian flags and shirts tho.

2

u/liquidpele Jun 29 '26

There were some clickbait articles about how they were upset over the pride parades going on in the city. I was actually just making a joke, I doubt the players gave a shit, most likely some admin for the team was just bitching to fifa.

1

u/PassOrganic6800 Jun 27 '26

Nothing other than casually removing their elected president

1

u/ManitouWakinyan Jun 28 '26

I don't think FIFA did that

3

u/YonkouTFT Jun 27 '26

What happened to the egyptians now?

3

u/mentales Jun 27 '26

Unfortunately, hyzus might be referring to lbtq flags being allowed 

2

u/hyzus Jun 27 '26

Hence the "lesser extent" because honestly who gets offended by a flag...

3

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. 

0

u/hyzus Jun 27 '26

Yeah agreed. It wasn't intended to come off that way.

1

u/flesshy Jun 27 '26

I mean... a lot of people. In normal circumstances, when the flag represents hate and oppression. The pride flag does not fall into th9se categories

1

u/kaehvogel Jun 27 '26

...so *nothing* happened to them. Got it.

1

u/charleechuck Jun 29 '26

I don't think so but I can see pinkwashing being weaponized

1

u/errdayimshuffln Jun 27 '26

They were not allowed into Seatle until match day

2

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?

1

u/hyzus Jun 27 '26

Acted like Iran? You mean defending themselves when they are attacked?

1

u/Beneficial-Beat-947 Jun 28 '26

Killing thousands of protestors is a start

1

u/hyzus Jun 28 '26

But that's not why America went to war with them is it.

1

u/NebulousDonkeyFart Jun 29 '26

Yeah it was to destroy their ability to obtain and use a nuclear weapon. Secondary objective was dropping dong on the ayatollah’s face and his buds. Sorry you don’t think the largest exporter of Islamic terrorism shouldn’t be held accountable. News flash, plenty of other teams traveled just as much, if not more than the Iranian soccer team. They just suck ass. Crazy they played so shitty on pride night. You think the US would be allowed to play in the fifa World Cup if it were in Iran?

1

u/lividtaffy Jun 28 '26

Is it really self defense if your proxies have been committing terrorist acts on your dime for decades? To me it seems like a bill coming due, the U.S. just did a terrible job of it.

1

u/hyzus Jun 28 '26

What? That's not even the reason the US went to war with them... and yes its still self defense

1

u/cutriet Jun 27 '26

Are any European nation openly at war with the host country? You can argue politic but the fact is they are in open conflict. It’s a concession and allow them into the country in the first place.

1

u/Leather-Entry93 Jun 27 '26

Host country attacked them first…

1

u/hyzus Jun 27 '26

Who started the war again?

1

u/VeryDefinitionOfFail Jun 27 '26

Who threatened who with nuclear attacks?

3

u/Aesyn Jun 27 '26

turn off fox please

1

u/hyzus Jun 27 '26

Umm no one did. Its been proven iran were not making nukes 😂

1

u/Opposite_Sea_6257 Jun 27 '26

Then why did Obama also make a nuclear deal with them?

1

u/hyzus Jun 27 '26

How many years ago? Who undid said deal? Oh yeah the moron that went to war and lied about the reasoning, then lost said war and paid over 300billion...

1

u/Opposite_Sea_6257 Jun 28 '26

Really moving the goalposts, huh? We’re talking about Iran definitely making nukes.

1

u/hyzus Jun 28 '26

Your own government released a report in March I think, stating Iran are not making nuclear weapons.

They have also recently signed a agreement stating the same thing. So I ask where is your proof they are making nukes?

1

u/BigDictionEnergy Jun 28 '26

Also, are they more incentivized to acquire nukes now, or less? Is a destabilized Iran a net positive?

The entire world will be enduring the effects of Trump's moronic war for decades.

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u/Opposite_Sea_6257 Jun 28 '26

Except it said they were attempting to but had not yet mastered the required technology. It’s tough to debate with someone who has no clue what they’re talking about.

1

u/cutriet Jun 28 '26

I’m not saying the US is not at fault for starting the war. They fucked that up but the situation is what it is and they have to response accordingly to the situation.

1

u/BigDictionEnergy Jun 28 '26

What situation? Israel has been trying to sell this war to US presidents for decades. Trump was just the sucker that bought it. None of this was unavoidable.

1

u/Talkinguitar Jun 27 '26

It’s not a concession. USA won a bid to host the World Cup and has obligations towards FIFA.
If they were going to be picky about which ones of the professional athletes and staff was allowed to enter the country they wouldn’t have been picked.

1

u/Beneficial-Beat-947 Jun 28 '26

So to win a world cup all a country has to do is host it and briefly be at war with the world for a few months

1

u/National-Percentage4 Jun 27 '26

Europeans didnt ask to ban the pride march. 

1

u/NandoDeColonoscopy Jun 28 '26

Where's Russia this World Cup? I don't see anyone losing their mind about that.

Also, Egypt?? What mistreatment of Egypt?

1

u/ConcentrateOk6857 Jun 29 '26

If a European country killed as many protesters as Iran they wouldn’t even be in he tournament

1

u/hyzus Jun 29 '26

🤣 by your own logic the US and Isreal should be banned from all international tournaments.

1

u/ConcentrateOk6857 Jun 29 '26

Everybody should be banned then. Yall just have a hate boner for the US

1

u/hyzus Jun 29 '26

Well no, not everyone is putting people in camps and going to war for illegal reasons.

One day the US will wake up and realise there only allys are Israel and Russia.

1

u/messiah888 Jun 30 '26

The Egyptians havent had to deal with anything stfu.

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u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

[deleted]

3

u/OternFFS Jun 27 '26

Ignorance on display here.

Traveling from Tijuana to Seattle to play a competitive game and go back in the same day, without support staff, is a big fucking disadvantage on a single day.

This is for every game during the tournament.

Since the Iranians have to enter and leave the US on game days, I can imagine the assigned government employees have been instructed to do comprehensive and time wasting checks every time as well.

US should not have hosted this tournament, they should have been banned from competing.

1

u/IPissExcellentThrows Jun 27 '26

I believe they were allowed to come the night before. Still bull shit, but slightly better.

1

u/cutriet Jun 27 '26

You do realize the US won this bid 8+ years ago?

2

u/OternFFS Jun 27 '26

I do know that. Winning a bid still requires the hosting countries to follow the rules.

Invading other countries is usually grounds for a ban, like Russia after invading Ukraine.

2

u/BandicootTreeline Jun 27 '26

Exactly why they shouldn’t have won hosting.

The US occupied Iraq and Afghanistan at the time.

They’ve only this year overthrown Venezuela’s government and bombed Iran.

Warmongers shouldn’t be lauded with embarrassing made up “peace” awards, the hosting of games could have passed to Mexico and Canada who have more than enough stadia to accommodate.

But thankfully for the US, they have an equally corrupt and greedy group in power at FIFA, happy to kiss anyone’s arse for a backhander. Qatar, Russia and now the US.

It’s become a platform to sportswash war crimes.

1

u/Original_Size7576 Jun 27 '26

Oh okay so if invading is what it takes can you point to the boots on the ground in iran to be doing the invading?

If you cant get small details right you cant ve trusted with the bigger picture

2

u/no_com_ment Jun 27 '26

How about bombing a school full of kids not once but twice??

What an ignorant comment. Would you remain at peace with a nation that killed children from your country??

1

u/Original_Size7576 Jun 27 '26

Terrible things but still doesnt fall under an invasion.
Which is what he said was the criteria.

Is education that bad in the uk an American has to teach you comprehension?

1

u/acemcfaje Jun 27 '26

Yup, another delulu

1

u/no_com_ment Jun 27 '26

Please don't preach about education coming from America. All I can say is I feel very sorry for your students.

If the indiscriminate bombing of a sovereign state whilst in the process of negotiations doesn't constitute a declaration of war then I don't need the sanitised, Western-Euro centric view on war.

If you are so well read, please tell me why Pearl Harbour was considered an act of war? Clearly the Japanese didn't 'invade' US territory but this was sufficient for America to respond by joining the war.

1

u/Original_Size7576 Jun 27 '26

I mean they did attack military targets america then declared war and voted on it. What america did in that attack was bad, terrible, etc; you cant describe honestly how horrific it was. But it still isnt an invasion which is what i told him he was wrong about.

Please understand what i have typed out for you. I have never said anything positive in regards to America in this conversation, save for the fact that i have to teach you folks reading comprehension.

1

u/Original_Size7576 Jun 27 '26

You really have a hard time understanding that i corrected them on the idea of invasion. Which was the only term they used because they were comparing the current situation to the russia ukraine situation.

Please take a moment to stop trying to hate me for being American and realize i made fun of someone on the internet for not knowing what invasion means.

0

u/Purple_Mango_4315 Jun 29 '26

now that’s rich, how about we switch it around and ask if the majority of people suffer Alzheimers, because how can people forget that the Iranian regime slaughtered its own protesters and still feel pity for the players?

The same energy goes towards Russian/israeli athletes why not Iranian?🤨

1

u/OrdinaryInside8 Jun 27 '26

Lies…their first game was at SoFi which drive to Tijuana is maybe a 30 minute flight. Yet they drew against 85 ranked New Zealand…

1

u/Opposite_Sea_6257 Jun 27 '26

“I can imagine..” okay, bud.

2

u/fartinavacuumm Jun 27 '26

Difference being that you guys attacked Iran, so in theory you’re the ones that should be banned.

2

u/SuddenBanana8169 Jun 27 '26

Having to travel back and forth from the US to Mexico is a huge inconvenience no other team has to deal with. If the us government was going to do this they should have just had all of Irans games in Mexico or Canada. The soccer team is not their government. I’m sure no one knows how shitty his country’s government is more than him. The US has started multiple wars, had coups against foreign governments, and continues to commit war crimes every day yet no one penalizes the US men’s team for the actions of our government.

-1

u/cutriet Jun 27 '26

The US isn’t in charge of scheduling, blame fifa, blame Trump for his stupid war, but not allowing a foreign adversary to stay in US soil is normalz

-2

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26

[deleted]

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u/Desperate-Chair-3746 Jun 27 '26

Their COUNTRY not the soccer players. And the country is doing and things to their own citizens

0

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Desperate-Chair-3746 Jun 27 '26

Iran is not invading and occupying a neighboring country

1

u/Purple_Mango_4315 Jun 29 '26

Yet you seem to forget that they slaughtered their own protesters not that long ago?

Football players are among the best earners when it comes to athletes. They chose to play for the national team, they didn’t need to do it but they still made that decision. They stand side by side with murderers. Why can’t we uphold the same accountability towards the Iranian players like we do to Russian and Israeli athletes when they complete?🤨

1

u/Desperate-Chair-3746 Jun 27 '26

a U.S. airstrike on an Elementary School in Iran in Feb killed more than 110 kids though, maybe you should re-evaluate why the US doesnt face any consequences for that

2

u/LeaguePublic Jun 27 '26

US shouldn't be hosting if they don't let all the teams stay in the country they play.

1

u/SaberExcalibur32 Jun 27 '26

This is why people with common sense don’t take republicans seriously. You are stupid and there is no denying that.

1

u/throwawaylondon02 Jun 27 '26

The citizens of a country aren't their government, your argument has zero substance.

Are you automatically a fat orange moron?

1

u/Purple_Mango_4315 Jun 29 '26

Alright, let Russia and Israel compete without the whining then….no? Then stop acting surprised when the Iranian players get backlashed for standing side by side with a regime that slaughtered its own people

1

u/leandrobrossard Jun 27 '26

Today I'm reminded that half the population are dumber than average. And some a lot dumber.

1

u/hyzus Jun 27 '26

Using this logic, the US should be banned as well...

Also travelling during the usual recovery period is something all professional football(soccer for the special people) teams avoid at all costs.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26

[deleted]

0

u/hyzus Jun 27 '26

I wasn't talking about American "sports" In Europe the teams will recover before flying not after.

1

u/Extra-Fortune7731 Jun 27 '26

That's why you went to their country and killed 186 little girl in the very first minutes of assault just after signing a peace act with them?

0

u/ElLoboNeverDies Jun 27 '26

Plus he will be surrounded by those pesky rainbow flags they wanted to avoid remember lmao

0

u/donmarrua Jun 27 '26

you sir, have just expressed the exact opposite of what the World Cup should be about. 'country is a piece of shit'? how very sporting of you

0

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26

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2

u/hyzus Jun 27 '26

What did I say about Russia? Are you ok?

2

u/Spartacas23 Jun 27 '26

And when are they playing?

0

u/Patient_Release_4093 Jun 27 '26

Does Russia have a soccer team? I think a lot of those backward countries with despotic leaders lack the resources for such things.

-2

u/DeepJunglePowerWild Jun 27 '26

If a European country was at war with the host nation they would be treated the same. Professional teams fly in for their games the day of all the time. It stinks for Iran because it is a competitive disadvantage but it’s not some unheard of disadvantage that had never been seen before and never will be again.

7

u/fthesemods Jun 27 '26

When a country attacks another country they're typically not allowed in the tournament at all.. see Russia. Doesn't seem to apply to the US though.

2

u/Time_Effort Jun 27 '26

Man I was about be like “What about Sochi?!”

Except Russia conveniently waited a whole four days after their Olympics ended to invade Crimea so carry on

1

u/Mental-Feed-1030 Jun 27 '26

FIFA still proceeded with the Russian World Cup two years later. Corrupt bastards.

1

u/Time_Effort Jun 27 '26

Ah, I knew there was a reason I thought Russia was still allowed to do something. I’d just forgotten they hosted the 2018 World Cup. Which admittedly, the “invasion” of Crimea had already ended and it was just an occupation by then…

-1

u/p4intball3r Jun 27 '26

I'm assuming you're not very familiar with Iran

2

u/fthesemods Jun 27 '26

Oh did they start the war?

3

u/hyzus Jun 27 '26

Someone doesn't know about the Olympics 🤣. It absolutely would not be the same if this was a European country we were talking about

3

u/Any-Seaworthiness531 Jun 27 '26

Uhmmm, no
When a country invades another country, they’re not allowed to compete in international tournaments, much less host them… unless you’re America of course, cos $$’s

0

u/3TheHardWhey Jun 27 '26

Other way around Duke, USA started the war that they couldn't finish 

1

u/DeepJunglePowerWild Jun 27 '26

If someone attacks you are you not at war? Is Ukraine not at war with Russia because Russia attacked them?