TOI reporter in Washington: The Iranian national football team drew 2-2 with New Zealand in Los Angeles, displaying a dazzling display of footballing resilience and bureaucratic survival.It’s an impressive feat, considering the team accomplished it under a logistical itinerary seemingly designed by Franz Kafka and executed by the Department of Homeland Security.Unfortunately, no sooner had the applause for Iran’s resilience faded than Team Melli’s players found themselves in an entirely different kind of chaos: a mad dash to the airport.Iran coach Amir Gallenoui bluntly revealed after the game that his team did not spend the night in Los Angeles to recuperate, but boarded a plane back to their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, immediately after the final whistle. “They didn’t even give us time to recover. They asked us to leave immediately after today’s game,” he said.Forward Mehdi Taremi lamented, “The World Cup was a disaster for us. We don’t want to make excuses, but it was not a fair game.”At most World Cups, football players cool down with ice baths and tactical briefings. Iran’s recovery plan apparently includes finding passports, unbuckling their seatbelts for security checks, and finding out whether their carry-on luggage exceeds the allowed weight. Some joked that the pregame warmup did not include tactical drills or hamstring stretches, but a three-hour seminar on how to stay calm while U.S. agents review biometric data.The sheer psychological pressure of traveling through US immigration twice in 24 hours made a high-pressure line from New Zealand look like a casual Sunday stroll.Yet if the journey was exhausting, the race itself was mesmerizing. The game, which takes place in Los Angeles, which has one of the largest Persian diasporas in the world, takes place against a politically charged backdrop.Some Iranian supporters waved the lion and sun flag associated with opponents of the regime before the revolution. Others support Team Mellie unreservedly. Flags were reportedly confiscated, fans put together different banned badges inside the stadium and there were emotional clashes in the stands. At the start of the game, the Iranian national anthem was played, drawing jeers and cheers.In a striking irony, the game took place shortly after the United States and Iran ended direct military confrontation.Yet on American soil, Iranians freely criticized their own government, monarchists displayed banned symbols with remarkable ingenuity, and the Iranian team itself sought to transcend politics, endearing itself to tens of thousands of spectators.Trump’s aide and FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited the Iranian team’s dressing room after the game to offer comfort and encouragement. “You are writing history and the world is watching you,” he told the players. “You’re better than nothing.” Kind words, though the players might have preferred confirmation that they could spend the night in Los Angeles.Unsurprisingly, the highest praise from the Iranian delegation was directed not to FIFA or Washington, but to Mexico.Team officials praised the Mexican government for being protective and accommodating of them, with a hospitality that stood in stark contrast to the United States, which has been accused of acting less like a holiday host and more like an overly paranoid bouncer at an exclusive nightclub.Iran is not the only country to be dissatisfied. A dark cloud of institutional paranoia hangs over the entire tournament. Several visiting teams, including Uruguay and Senegal, have complained about heavy-handed police enforcement, oppressive and intrusive security measures and restrictive movements that make players feel less like elite athletes and more like high-value detainees.Videos circulated showing Senegalese players being searched individually upon arrival in the United States, and there were accusations online that they were being treated in a discriminatory manner compared to European teams.This bureaucratic dysfunction reached its absolute peak when a Somali referee officially appointed by FIFA to officiate the match was flatly denied entry to the United States and summarily sent off on the next flight. His voice was last heard blowing the political whistle in Mogadishu.This grim, fortress-like impression was further heightened by the sight of massive empty seats in several iconic stadiums. American organizers miscalculated the intersection of public enthusiasm and rampant capitalism, pricing tickets well beyond the reach of the average fan.FIFA promises a festival of global solidarity; at times, it resembles an exclusive Broadway production, with the cheapest seats costing more than a month’s salary in some countries.
