Iran’s football federation reported that US host officials caused problems for Iran forward Mehdi Taremi and assistant coach Saeed Alhoei, delaying their delegation as they traveled to Seattle for the World Cup match against Egypt.
The incident comes days after US authorities eased travel restrictions on Iran’s World Cup delegation following complaints from Tehran and the team that strict entry rules were disrupting preparations.
US officials had previously required Iran to enter the United States only shortly before matches and leave soon afterwards. Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei criticized the arrangements as unfair and said repeated cross-border travel left his players fatigued.
Relations between Washington and Tehran have added political sensitivity to Iran’s participation in the World Cup, with the team facing heightened travel and security restrictions throughout the tournament.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.