An elimination, but for some almost a liberation: Iran, unable to go beyond the group stage at the World Cup as one of the best third-placed teams on goal difference, and therefore out before the round of 32. For Taremi and his teammates, the journey to the United States carried the weight of something closer to an ordeal, pressure and restriction running alongside the football itself, shaped by the wider backdrop of tensions with the United States and Israel.
The same applies to the United States, and Markwayne Mullin was unusually explicit: the Homeland Security Secretary, former senator and Republican Party member, said he “danced for joy” when Iran’s elimination became official. According to the Sports Business Journal, he told journalists he was “happy” that the Iranians were out and that they “won’t be coming back”. He added he was “so happy when we told them they could leave U.S. soil”, and that there had not been a single team they had had to deal with longer than Iran.
The management of Team Melli had been complicated from the outset. After a long process the United States granted entry visas, but under heavily restrictive conditions, to the point that Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei described his side as “the most oppressed” of the tournament. The difficulties extended into logistics: after each of their three group matches Iran were required to return to their base in Mexico, despite earlier arrangements suggesting otherwise, and only arrived in the United States the day before games. After the second match some of those restrictions were eased, allowing the team to enter the country two days before the fixture, but the tension did not subside.