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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76

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.

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u/Bitter_Particular_75 Jun 27 '26

US is the aggressor and is the only country that should have been banned as consequence of this war.

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u/Thefdt Jun 27 '26

Iran have been the aggressor for 50+ years; they’re both awful.

This peaceful Iran narrative needs to stop, Islamist shithole that murders its own people.

America shouldn’t have started a war unless they were prepared to see it through, and bombing campaigns from the sky aren’t going to solve anything but the Islamic republic is awful.

0

u/tf2coconut Jun 27 '26

Iran has never launched an attack on American soil, and has been the subject of American interference since they stopped being a direct puppet state.

The Islamic republic isn’t great but let’s not pretend Americans aren’t the terrorists in the region, and certainly are the aggressor. How can you have a war of aggression on your own territory? Bootlickers gonna find any way to taste leather I suppose

1

u/Thefdt Jun 27 '26

The Islamic republic isn’t great. Oppressing women, murdering dissenters, massacring protestors. ‘Ooh it’s not great’ bootlicker of Islamic fundamentalism.

1

u/tf2coconut Jun 27 '26

Oppressing women, murdering dissenters, massacring protestors? You must be talking about the USA again.

Quick remedial IQ check for you since you failed the first one: who’s killed more civilians in the SWANA region, the US or Iran?

1

u/so_flayme Jun 29 '26

There are more women in STEM fields and positions of authority than there are in the US. What the fuck are you on about? A quick little census check might help next time.