Beautiful Game, Ugly World Cup: Several teams face the onslaught of American paranoia, oppressive security

Iran’s Ramin Rezaeian (23) waves to fans after the World Cup Group G match against New Zealand in Inglewood, near Los Angeles. (AP photo) WASHINGTON: In a dazzling display of football resilience, Iran’s national football team managed a respectable 2-2 draw against New Zealand in Los Angeles. It was a remarkable feat considering the unit was operating on a logistical itinerary seemingly designed by Franz Kafka and implemented by the Department of Homeland Security.Iran is far from alone in its complaints. A dark cloud of institutional paranoia hangs over the tournament. Several visiting teams, including Uruguay and Senegal, have complained of heavy-handed policing, oppressive and intrusive security measures and restrictive movements that make players feel less like elite athletes and more like high-value detainees.

“The World Cup is a disaster for us. We don’t want to make excuses, it’s not a fair competition.

The applause for Iran’s tenacity had barely passed when Team Melli’s players found themselves in a completely different brawl: a frantic dash to the airport.Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei was tight-lipped after the game, revealing that instead of spending the night in LA to recover, his team was instructed to head back to their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico immediately after the final whistle. “They didn’t even give us time to recover. After today’s game, they told us to leave immediately,” he said. Striker Mehdi Taremi lamented. “The World Cup is a disaster for us. We don’t want to make excuses, but it’s not a fair competition.”

Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei. (AP photo)

At most World Cups, footballers cool down with ice baths and tactical meetings. Iran’s recovery program apparently consists of searching for passports, removing belts for security checks, and wondering if their hand luggage is over the weight limit. Someone joked that the pre-game warm-up didn’t consist of tactical drills or hamstring stretches, but rather a three-hour seminar on how to stay calm while US agents scrutinize biometric data. The sheer mental stress of going through US immigration twice in 24 hours made the New Zealand defensive line look like an ordinary Sunday walk.Still, if the journey was grueling, the match itself was thrilling. Set in LA, home to one of the largest Persian diasporas in the world, the game unfolds against a politically charged backdrop. Some Iranian supporters waved the pre-revolutionary lion and sun flag associated with opponents of the current regime. The others wholeheartedly supported Team Melli.There were reports of flags being confiscated, various pieces of the banned symbol being stapled together in the stadium and emotional confrontations in the stands. Iran’s national anthem at the start of the game was met with both jeers and cheers.It is a remarkable irony that the match took place shortly after the US and Iran emerged from direct military confrontation. Yet on American soil, Iranians freely criticized their own government, royalists deployed forbidden symbols with remarkable ingenuity, and the Iranian team itself, trying to rise above politics, won the affection of tens of thousands of spectators.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (AP Photo)

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, a Trump acolyte, visited Iran’s dressing room after the match to offer words of comfort and encouragement. “You are making history and the whole world is watching,” he told the players. “You are stronger than anything. Kind words, though the players might have preferred confirmation that they could spend the night in Los Angeles.Unsurprisingly, the Iranian delegation reserved the highest praise not for FIFA or Washington, but for Mexico. Team officials have praised the Mexican government for being protective and accommodating, its hospitality in stark contrast to the U.S., which has been accused of acting less like a celebratory host and more like an overly paranoid bouncer at an exclusive nightclub.Several other teams were on the receiving end. Videos have circulated showing Senegalese players being individually searched upon arrival in the US, sparking accusations online of discriminatory treatment compared to European teams. The absolute zenith of this bureaucratic dysfunction was reached when a Somali referee, officially appointed by FIFA to officiate the matches, was unequivocally denied entry to the US and immediately sent back on the next available flight. He was last heard blowing the political whistle in Mogadishu.This grim, fortress-like impression is further enhanced by the sight of swaths of empty seats in several iconic stadiums. Miscalculating the intersection of public enthusiasm and rampant capitalism, American organizers priced tickets well beyond the reach of ordinary working fans. FIFA promised a festival of global unity; at times it resembled an exclusive Broadway production, where the cheapest seats cost more than a month’s wages in some countries.