IRAN COACH DEMANDS INFANTINO ACT ON US TREATMENT

Iran's head coach Amir Ghalenoei has called on Fifa president Gianni Infantino to "stand up" to the United States following his team's 1-1 draw with Egypt in Seattle. Ghalenoei reiterated his view that Iran has been treated "very unfairly" by the tournament hosts. He stated that whilst Infantino had attempted to minimise problems, "ultimately little has changed since the tournament began". Ghalenoei urged Fifa to prevent hosts from treating teams and players similarly in future competitions.

Iran's captain Mehdi Taremi described the World Cup as "a disaster" from the beginning, citing the denial of entry visas to 11 senior officials from the Iranian delegation. Taremi said Infantino had visited the team's dressing room after their opening match against New Zealand, telling them "it's just the beginning", but the situation had not improved by the group stage's conclusion. Taremi questioned how logistical personnel could be denied visas when the group stage was finishing. When asked whether he believed the US and Fifa wanted Iran eliminated from the tournament, Taremi said the team had "to fight against everything here".

Iran will qualify for the World Cup knockout stage for the first time if results favour them in the next 24 hours. Their match against Egypt saw Shoja Khalilzadeh have a stoppage-time goal ruled offside and Saeid Ezatolah strike the crossbar. Ghalenoei previously described Iran as the "most oppressed" team at the World Cup.