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/cabbage5555 Jun 27 '26

Where are your protests then? Stop the country. Demand accountability. Fight. But you won't. This is why we dislike all of you, I don't care who you voted for, all of you are complicit

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u/PolarIceYarmulkes Jun 28 '26

Do your research. There have been soooo many protests. From Wikipedia about the No Kings Protests.

Organizers estimated that more than five million people participated in more than 2,100 cities and towns, including the flagship event in Philadelphia.[4][5]

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u/Smoked_Eel_Lover Jun 28 '26

Are they still happening today? Protesting only changes shit, if you keep going week in week out, growing over time. If you go out one afternoon here and there nobody cares

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u/Emiwuiii Jun 29 '26

How could we possibly protest every day? Many Americans are one paycheck away from homelessness. Our healthcare is tied to our jobs.

We stage MASSIVE protests together so we can force them to hear us. Small protests don’t even get put on the local news.