June 24 (Reuters) – U.S. host officials “caused problems” for Iran forward Mehdi Taremi and assistant coach Saeed Alhoei, delaying their delegation as they travelled to Seattle for the World Cup match against Egypt, Iran’s football federation said on Wednesday.
Iran’s ISNA news agency, citing the federation, said team members were waiting for Taremi and Alhoei to rejoin the group.
The reported incident comes days after U.S. authorities eased travel restrictions on Iran’s World Cup delegation following complaints from Tehran and the team that strict entry rules were disrupting preparations.
It was not immediately clear what caused the latest delay. U.S. authorities did not immediately comment.
U.S. officials had previously required Iran, who are based in Tijuana, Mexico during the tournament, to enter the United States only shortly before matches and leave soon afterwards.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei had criticised the arrangements as unfair and said repeated cross-border travel left his players fatigued. U.S. authorities this week allowed the team to arrive in Seattle two days before their match against Egypt on Friday, granting greater flexibility than for their earlier games.
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.
(Reporting by Enas Alashray and Hatem Maher, Editing by Ken Ferris)
