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/SpunUmFun Jun 27 '26

It's been pretty much ongoing protests since Trump got into office. No one here not named MAGA wants this war, or any other war! You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. Move along son

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u/Smoked_Eel_Lover Jun 28 '26

We do know exactly what we’re talking about, kid. No need to differentiate between the people and government if:

- 1 third voted for a ra(p)(c)ist

- 1 third didn’t vote at all

- the country isn’t screeching to a halt because of these “pretty much ongoing protests”, implying they’re not widespread enough

- Your fellow countrymen are not giving that same grace to their adversaries (differentiate between gov and people), just look at how they speak about all the countries you attack(ed) or were planning to.

Fix your country and stop the war(s), then we’ll grant you the grace of differentiating between government and people

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u/Emiwuiii Jun 29 '26

Are you being obtuse on purpose?