Mehdi Taremi says Team Melli playing for ‘every Iranian’ at WC

LOS ANGELES — Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei and forward Mehdi Taremi said they would be playing for all Iranians at the FIFA World Cup, as the prospect of protests looms ahead of their opening game against New Zealand on Monday.

Iran’s squad touched down in Los Angeles on Sunday for the first of three Group G games that are to be staged in the United States. Monday’s meeting with the Kiwis is set to be followed by an encounter with Belgium also in Los Angeles on June 21, then a clash with Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

Monday’s match will take place against a backdrop of a conflict that began in February when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran — hostilities that were the subject of a reported peace deal Sunday — leading to visa processing issues that forced the squad to relocate its training camp from Arizona to Mexico and prevented several staff members from entering the United States.

The city of Los Angeles has the largest Iranian population in the United States, and reports have indicated that tens of thousands could stage protests outside SoFi Stadium in neighboring Inglewood ahead of Team Melli’s opening game.

“I would like to let you know that we are here to play football and we are here to represent the respectful people of Iran, be it the Iranians inside Iran or the Iranian diaspora,” Ghalenoei said via a FIFA interpreter when asked about the prospect of protests in his official prematch news conference. “We only think about our country. We are not political people.

“The Iranian nation, we respect each and every one of the Iranians.”

Ghalenoei made a deliberate effort on several occasions throughout his news conference to thank reporters for asking questions on the challenges associated with moving the team’s training base, noting what it had experienced during its preparations.

Taremi, capped over 100 times for Iran and currently on the books of Greek Super League powers Olympiacos, reiterated his coach’s words of unity amid a series of questions surrounding the possibility of protests as well as the potential presence of the pre-Islamic Lion and Sun flag inside the stadium.

“We respect all Iranians, be it the Iranians who are inside the country or Iranians who are outside the country,” Taremi said through a FIFA interpreter. “We are here to play football, and football can always unite all factions. Our people, we love them inside or outside Iran. For many years, the civilized country of Iran has been a united nation. We want to showcase that unity. We are here at the World Cup to bring joy to Iranians wherever they are.”

“We, the players of the national team, we play for every Iranian, be it the Iranian diaspora or be it Iranians in the country,” Taremi later added. “Look, in every country, people have different opinions, but we are here as footballers to unite people, and we will try to bring joy to all Iranians, irrespective of where they live.

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and we respect them, but we are here to bring joy to the Iranian people. We do not get involved in politics. We are here to play football.”

As he did in conversation with ESPN earlier in the week, Taremi noted the tension surrounding the tournament when questioned about how he felt coming into the World Cup, while he used his closing remarks to note the dearth of questions about New Zealand.

“Nobody asked any football-related questions,” he said. “We are playing the excellent New Zealand team tomorrow, and I very much hope it’s going to be a good game.

“For the political, you have to go to other cities for this political press conference. We have high respect for New Zealand, and we want it to be a good game. We will make sure that we play a beautiful game for all the spectators, and I hope New Zealand will have the same attitude. I look forward to tomorrow.”