FIFA President visited the dressing room and heard Amir Ghalenoei’s criticism of the restrictions imposed on the Persian team
FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Iran’s players that the team is “writing history” and transmitting a “strong message” to the world. The director visited the Iranian dressing room after playing with the New Zealand team, on Monday (June 15, 2026), for the World Cup.
Infantino said he knew the difficulties faced by the delegation during the competition. The team has established its training base in Tijuana, Mexico, and must travel to the United States before each group stage match. “I know what you’re going through. I understand. But you’re stronger than anything.”declared the leader to the athletes.
According to Infantino, the support received by the team at SoFi Stadium, in Los Angeles, showed that the team managed to bring together Iranians with different political positions and views on the country’s government.
“You sent a strong message to the whole world. Tonight, you brought the whole stadium together. You are showing the world and transmitting a very strong message”these.
🎥 Infantino’s presence in Iran’s dressing room and praising the players’ performance
Ghalenoui: Because of the conditions they created for us, we are the most oppressed team in the World Cup.
— Fars News Agency (@FarsNews_Agency)
The FIFA president also spoke about the Iranian team’s 2 remaining games in the group stage. “In these 2 matches, you will again make the whole world proud of what you did”he stated.
Before leaving the locker room, Infantino addressed the players again. “This is just the beginning of the work. You are writing history. The whole world is watching you”he declared.
The director asked the athletes to continue playing for their families, friends, fans and the Iranian people. He also joked that he could play as a striker in the next match if coach Amir Ghalenoei needed it.
Ghalenoei thanked the FIFA team who tried to help the delegation, but criticized the restrictions imposed on the team. The coach stated that managers, communications professionals and other members of the support team were prevented from traveling to the United States.
According to him, members of the technical committee needed to accumulate functions during their stay in Los Angeles. The delegation to leave the country after the game.
The coach also complained about the logistics defined for the team. The team had to travel for around 10 hours and was not authorized to arrive in the United States any further in advance. After the match, the delegation was instructed to return to Mexico immediately, without adequate time for rest and recovery.
“Perhaps we were the most damaged team in the history of the World Cup because of the conditions we faced”said Ghalenoei.
The coach asked for firmer action from the entity led by Infantino. “I hope FIFA works harder so that other teams are not oppressed or disrespected”he declared.
Captain Mehdi Taremi said that the FIFA president showed interest in helping, but stated that the problems go beyond the entity’s actions. “FIFA needs to help us more than that. Let’s see what happens in the future”these.
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