Tijuana, Mexico - Iran's coach Amir Ghalenoei on Saturday said he was told US travel restrictions on his World Cup team will be eased for their third group game, but blamed strict rules for damaging their on-field performance.
Iran's soccer squad arrived at the World Cup mere months after the US and Israel launched a war of aggression against their country in late February.
While Mexico volunteered to host Iran in the border city of Tijuana, the team has been blocked from staying overnight in the US, forcing them to fly in before each match and then immediately fly back. The travel restrictions saw Iran lodge a complaint with FIFA on Thursday.
After playing Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday, these rules will force Iran to immediately return to Mexico. Their next game, against Egypt, will also be held in the US.
On Saturday, however, Ghalenoei said he had been told his team will have more flexibility for their final match.
"They said in Seattle, you can do what you want, you can act the way you want to, and you can come earlier," he told a press conference, without specifying who exactly the information had come from.
"But what I want, my problem is, why didn't they let us come earlier for the first two games as well? I just know for the last game, yes, they've allowed us to decide, to make our own decisions with regards to planning the travel," he said.
"But unfortunately, for the first two games, others made these travel arrangements for us, and the timing for us."
Last week, Iran drew 2–2 with New Zealand, the tournament's lowest-ranked team, a sloppy showing that Ghalenoei laid at the feet of "errors" and a "commute" that had made the Iranian team tired.