United States will keep strict travel rules for Iranian national soccer team during World Cup,despite team's protests. Andrew Giuliani,executive director of White House Task Force for tournament,confirmed current travel protocols stay unchanged for Iran's matches in Los Angeles and Seattle.
Iran's players can only head to match venues 24 hours before games,must return to training base in Tijuana,Mexico,right after each match. Coach Amir Ghalenoei voiced frustration,calling his team “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup.” After their opening match against New Zealand,which ended around 8 p.m. local time,Iranian delegation left U.S . soon after final whistle,raising concerns about recovery.
Ghalenoei had hoped team would stay overnight in California to aid recovery,but they returned to Mexico within hours. U.S. faced more scrutiny when winger Mehdi Torabi's entry visa expired post-first game. But officials confirmed he's got new multiple-entry visa for future matches .
Same travel restrictions apply for Iran's match against Belgium on Sunday. Team scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles Saturday evening,about 24 hours before kickoff. Giuliani noted situation stays fluid,discussions will happen about travel for Iran's third match against Egypt in Seattle.
“The situation is dynamic,” Giuliani stated. “We have a plan right now. Tomorrow afternoon, they will take the 27-minute flight back to Tijuana.”
He defended measures,highlighting that moving team's training base from Tucson to Tijuana cut travel time. “Their flight is an hour shorter than it would be from Tucson,” he said,expressing satisfaction with first match arrangements.
Giuliani also addressed visa issues,noting all players and coaches have visas,but some team officials don't due to “derogatory information” in their backgrounds . He stressed need to balance security concerns with interests of international visitors at tournament.
Despite challenges,Giuliani reassured no credible threats to tournament identified. “Our intelligence community has tripled down on this since beginning of this year,” he remarked,adding officials are in constant communication on security matters.
As tournament moves on,Giuliani expressed optimism about first ten days,stating, “Things are going as planned.” He noted focus has largely been on play quality,which he described as “fantastic.”
