The World Cup has begun, and for Iranian Americans in California, it’s a complicated time. The Iranian national team is participating in the tournament, but many Iranian Americans are torn between supporting their heritage and opposing the Iranian government.

A Divided Community

In Moorpark, California, a local recreational league team called Arya FC is made up of all Iranian or Iranian American players. The team’s captain, Nader Adeli, says that the team’s jersey design was chosen to acknowledge their Iranian heritage without getting into the controversy of which flag to use. Iran’s official flag features the Islamic emblem, which some Iranian Americans, like Ramin Ghashghaei, a defender on the team, see as a symbol of a ‘terrorist organization.’

Ghashghaei plans to boycott the tournament, citing the Islamic Republic’s political grip on sports. ‘In Iran, everything is about who you know, who you buy, political ideology,’ he said. ‘Do you support the Islamic Republic or you don’t? If you do, then maybe you get a priority to be in the team. That’s just a political move.’

Logistical Challenges

The Iranian national team has faced significant logistical challenges in participating in the World Cup. The team was originally supposed to be based in Tucson, Arizona, but instead landed at Tijuana International Airport and set up camp just south of the US border. The team will have to cross the border for each of their group-stage matches, which will pose a competitive disadvantage.

The travel restrictions and visa delays have also made it difficult for Iranian fans to attend the matches. Iran’s football federation announced that its entire ticket allocation had been withdrawn, leaving fans who had already made travel plans with nothing.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.