Iran expected in Los Angeles in a very tense context

Iran is expected in Los Angeles on Sunday, on the eve of its World Cup debut against New Zealand, a match on American soil crushed by the geopolitical context and the war in the Middle East. With the conflict triggered by the American-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Tehran maintained doubt about the participation of Team Melli in the World Cup until the end. The United States refused to grant visas to around fifteen members of the management and the team also established its base camp at the last moment in Tijuana, Mexico, rather than in Tucson (Arizona) as initially planned.

The Iranian selection was legally required by FIFA to be in Los Angeles on Sunday, on the eve of its first match. A press conference is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. (12:45 a.m. Monday in Luxembourg) at SoFi Stadium, located very close to the international airport where players should land from Tijuana, after a flight of around twenty minutes.

Starting the World Cup in “Tehrangeles” – one of the nicknames of Los Angeles for the importance of its Iranian community – could seem to be an advantage, but part of the diaspora considers the selection as an instrument of propaganda for the Islamic Republic. Major demonstrations were organized in January in the Californian megalopolis to denounce the crushing of a new popular uprising in Iran which left thousands dead.

Match potentially arrêté?

Calls to demonstrate on Monday in Inglewood around this ultra-modern 70,000-seat stadium were launched, to wave the flag of Iran before the Islamic revolution, when the green, white and red banner was adorned with a lion and a sun. Some protesters could also invite themselves inside the enclosure and boo the Iranian anthem, as in Qatar in 2022, raising the threat of tensions over the meeting.

The Iranian Minister of Sports, Ahmad Donyamali, warned that Iran would particularly monitor “flags and slogans”, threatening to stop the match in the event of symbols hostile to the Islamic Republic. And on Saturday, the president of the Iranian football federation, Mehdi Taj, recalled that FIFA had to ensure that only the Iranian flag in its Islamic Republic version would be visible in the World Cup stadiums.

FIFA regulations prohibit any accessories of a “political nature” in stadiums. But its application has been variable in previous tournaments and no one knows how opponents with tickets will be treated. These uncertainties about the reception reserved for Team Melli contribute to the pressure surrounding the meeting in Los Angeles. Iran must play its three Group G matches in the United States, the second also in Los Angeles on June 21 against Belgium and finally the third in Seattle on June 26 against Egypt.

“Message of peace”

Will Team Melli be able to play their best football in these conditions? On paper, in any case, it has a chance of progressing through the group stage of the World Cup for the first time in its history, taking advantage of a group deemed affordable, in a competition expanded to 48 teams where the eight best third-place finishers in the groups continue their journey in the direct elimination phase.

Iran, 20th in the FIFA rankings, has a great opportunity to shine on Monday against New Zealand, only 85th in the world and looking for a first success in the World Cup. The selection counts on its star striker Mehdi Taremi, already the author of two goals during the 2022 edition in Qatar.

“This is my third World Cup. I have always said that when we set foot on the soil of the host country, we must feel a warm and unifying atmosphere. Maybe it’s just an impression, but that’s not what I’m feeling right now. There is obviously significant tension, but I would like sport and politics to always be separated,” he explained to the Gazzetta dello Sport the Olympiakos player, formerly of Inter Milan. The 33-year-old striker still hopes to “carry a message of peace” on the pitch.

(afp/jw)