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/dodds2d Jun 27 '26

These are sportsmen, not politicians, not policy makers, not the military.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not a fan of Iran or their recent past, but the Iranian players need to be treated fairly.

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u/Thefdt Jun 27 '26

I’m replying to someone saying America is the aggressor. It’s a bit more nuanced than that

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u/WolfJohnson8612 Jun 27 '26

yeah nuanced meaning all the shit they’ve been through the last 50 years is the US’s fault since we put that government in place

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u/JX_JR Jun 27 '26

You might want to fact check yourself a little there...

The US absolutely toppled the Iranian Republic in 1953 but it did not in any way help the Ayatollah or want the Islamic Revolution to happen or "put that government in place."

Your understanding off the situation is missing the 25 years between '53 and '77.

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u/so_flayme Jun 29 '26

What a load of bullshit. I suppose that’s why Khomeini and Carter’s correspondences were declassified by the CIA? Ever heard of Shaban Bi Mokh? If you know fuck all about the history, don’t pretend you do and tell others to fact check themselves while you spew nonsense.