Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei has urged FIFA President Gianni Infantino to confront United States officials over what he described as highly unfair treatment toward his team during the World Cup.
The frustrations peaked following a dramatic 1-1 group stage draw against Egypt in Seattle, which left Iran's qualification for the last 32 hanging in the balance.
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Ghalenoei stated that despite Infantino's personal efforts to address local difficulties, the host country failed to provide adequate conditions for the traveling squad.
"I know Mr Infantino has tried his best to minimise the problems as much as possible but it was the host that wasn’t very good to us," Ghalenoei said.
The head coach emphasized that soccer's governing body must implement strict measures to protect international teams from similar operational disadvantages in future tournaments.
"I urge Fifa to not let the hosts treat teams and players the same way in the future.
I hope Mr Infantino will actually stand up to such behaviour," Ghalenoei added.
Visa Denials and Travel Disruptions
Team logistics worsened after US authorities denied 11 senior Iranian officials entry visas, leaving the squad without critical support staff throughout the group stages.
"Since the beginning, it’s a disaster World Cup.
I mean, Fifa, they have to solve every problem here but unfortunately this they couldn’t solve since the beginning," said captain Mehdi Taremi.
"Mr Infantino came to our changing room [after the] first game and he said: ‘It’s just the beginning.’
