After all the problems that the Iranian National Team faced in their World Cup journey, the players and the staff have left no stone unturned to point out the mistakes by FIFA and the USA. And now even government officials are getting involved.

“The issue of the Iranian national football team staying at a place other than the venue of the games itself also became problematic,” said the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei.

The Iranian team arrived in North America with visa issues already hanging over them, but they still hoped football would be their escape route. But instead of just focusing on the pitch, they kept dealing with travel problems, delayed entries, and constant uncertainty around where they could actually train and stay. 

“The most politicized experience,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, talking about the experience of the team this World Cup. 

He also pointed to repeated visa denials for officials and staff, and the fact that the squad had to shift its base from Arizona to Tijuana just before the tournament began.  

Those off-field problems kept building even as the games progressed. This surely affected the performance on the pitch because Iran couldn’t win a single game in their group and were knocked out on Goal Difference. But even after the exit, there was one thing that made Esmail Baghaei very unhappy. 

After Iran’s exit, news popped up saying that the team was knocking itself out, and US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was enjoying it. And Mullin confirmed it himself. 

Mullin said, “I’m just glad they’re done, and they’re not coming back,” and added that he “might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.”  

And this has created more tension.

The Germany-Paraguay World Cup game catches eyes after a controversial call

Germany has been one of the most talked-about teams coming into the World Cup. But after not making the Quarterfinals for the 3rd time in a row, things are not looking good. And this time they lost to Paraguay on penalties. But that wasn’t the moment that caught the attention of many fans. In the 104th minute of the game, Jonathan Tah thought that he scored the winner. But VAR had a different view of the goal.  

VAR showed that there was a slight push on the goalkeeper, Orlando Gil. VAR overturned this decision, and it didn’t make any Germans happy. 

The stadium erupted with mixed reactions as boos and cheers spread across the stands. And that one moment pushed this game to penalties. In penalties, Germany never looked like they could win. 

Gil saved penalties by Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade. And although Neuer did pull the Germans back into the tie, Jonathan Tah, the same guy whose goal was ruled out, missed the penalty. But José Canale didn’t miss his shot and sent Paraguay to the Round of 16. 

After the game, Zlatan Ibrahimovic said, “I’m sorry for Tah. He scored a winning goal, and they took it away from him, and then you miss a penalty.”