The political situation between Iran and the United States is low from before. But the decisive World Cup match between the nations on Tuesday has become even more tense after the American national team published a picture on social media showing the Iranian flag without the symbol of the Islamic Republic. The move, which US communications manager Neil Buethe tells news was made out of solidarity with the Iranian women, quickly created strong reactions. The Americans later deleted the photo from Twitter and Instagram, but Iran’s state news agency Tasnim is calling for the USA to be punished and thrown out of the World Cup. – You pronounce the name wrong! At the press conference in Doha on Monday, the day before the match is to be played, news witnessed a very special press conference with the American national team. A number of Iranian reporters took the floor and asked a number of non-sporting questions to US coach Gregg Berhalter and US player Tyler Adams. The atmosphere was so noticeably bad that a number of American reporters looked at each other in astonishment along the way and occasionally had to pull on the smile band. To illustrate what the mood was like: After Leeds player Tyler Adams had been busy stressing that they had nothing to do with the photo stunt, and stated that the entire USA team “supports the people of Iran and the team of Iran”, he got following question in return from an Iranian reporter: – You say you support the Iranian people, but you pronounce our name wrong. It includes Iran, not “Airan”. Let’s get this straight once and for all. Secondly, are you comfortable representing a nation that has so much discrimination against black people? – Discrimination everywhere The question is probably related to Iran coach Carlos Queiroz being asked earlier in the World Cup if he was comfortable representing a regime that suppresses women’s rights. But Tyler Adams kept his cool. – I apologize for the crazy pronunciation of your country. Having said that, there is discrimination everywhere. What I have learned from living abroad in recent years, when it comes to fitting into different cultures, the USA is making progress every single day. Education is important, as you just educated me about the pronunciation of your country, and it is a process. And the most important thing is that you see progress, replied Adams. But it didn’t stop there. Berhalter and Adams several times had to answer questions that were not about the match. – All we can do is to apologize to the US leader, who was repeatedly asked to comment on the much-discussed image of Iran’s flag. – I don’t want it to seem like I don’t care, but the boys have worked incredibly hard over the past four years, we have 72 hours between the England and Iran game, and we are only focused on how we are going to beat Iran. Our thoughts are with the Iranian people and their entire nation, but our focus is on the fight, he answered first. – But the players and the support apparatus knew nothing about what was published. Sometimes things are beyond our control. We don’t focus on these non-sporting things, and all we can do is apologize. But it is not something we have been a part of, he repeated. Gregg Berhalter and Tyler Adams managed to keep their cool despite a number of critical questions from Iranian media. Photo: JOHN SIBLEY / Reuters Another reporter asked how they feel that “almost nobody cares about football in the USA”, where the press manager broke in and informed that the match against England was watched by 20 million Americans. – This was how the press conference quickly attracted attention. The American sports journalist Leander Schaerlaeckens sums it all up like this: – Gregg Berhalter and Tyler Adams have now been asked about racism in the USA, the American fleet in the Persian Gulf, the high inflation and why Iranians need visas to visit the USA, while Americans you don’t need it to visit Iran. This press conference has been… different, is the verdict from Schaerlaeckens. – Hopefully the TV company will show the Iran and USA press conferences in their entirety before the match, writes James Nalton, who covers American football for The Guardian, among other things. The contrast was great from the press conference Iran coach Carlos Queiroz held in the same room just over an hour before. Applause It started with a number of Iranian reporters bursting into applause when Queiroz entered the room. Queiroz had decided not to talk about politics at the press conference on Wednesday. He dismissed questions about, for example, the Klinsmann feud with “no comment”. But when asked about the flag situation, he became a little more talkative. A Swedish reporter asked the Iran coach if he wants to use the step up as a form of motivation in the dressing room before the match. – If after 42 years I think I can win matches by using such mental tactics, I have not learned anything about the game. This is not the case, he began. – I hope we can learn before future tournaments: Our goal down here is to create entertainment and make people happy for at least 90 minutes. We stand in solidarity with all human rights issues around the world, but we are here to make people smile. That is our mission in football, he says. Then applause erupted from a number of Iranian journalists in the press room. Milad Javanmardy was among those who applauded Iran’s coach at the press conference. Photo: Egil Sande / news – Are not voiceless anymore One of those who applauded is Bein Sport journalist Milad Javanmardy. He explains the background for the applause as follows: – The main reason is that we have discovered that we have a real ambassador in him. For many years we have lacked someone to really speak our case, and I think the world should know that we are no longer voiceless. We also have other ambassadors than Mr. Queiroz, but he has proven that he is a worthy ambassador, says Milad Javanmardy to news. – What kind of status does he have in Iran now? – With football fans, he has had a high status for many years. But after the strained atmosphere here after the politics that have characterized the championship, he has been good at shielding the players and making it clear that they are there to play football. Because of this, he has gained more respect than anything, the reporter believes. Carlos Queiroz received applause at the press conference on Tuesday. Photo: GARETH BUMSTEAD / Reuters The Iranian national team has been in the spotlight throughout the World Cup. During the opening match against England, Iran’s supporters booed when the national anthem was played in the stadium. The players refused to sing along to the lyrics. There have been mixed feelings about the Iranian national team, which had many against them when they met the Iranian president before the World Cup. – I think they have been pressured. Before the match against Wales, the players suddenly sang again, but very weakly. – I think they have been pressured to sing. There was someone who tried to move their lips just a little, the Norwegian-Iranian media sociologist Sharam Alghasi told news after the match. The regime in Iran, under the leadership of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is facing some of the largest protest actions in the country since the Islamic revolution in 1979, writes NTB. For over two months, thousands of demonstrators have protested and demanded changes after a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman died in the custody of the morality police after being arrested because she had not covered her hair well enough, the news agency reports. – A very, very special match. Queiroz himself is looking forward to the match, and prefers to talk about the sport. The high-profile coach believes his team is capable of achieving yet another great result and advancing to the World Cup for the first time in the nation’s history. – Tomorrow will be a very, very special match for us, and for me in particular. To have the opportunity to progress for the first time is something that makes us proud. We will do our best, he says. Berhalter is also looking forward to what will be a historic match for both teams. – I think they are a very good team, so it will be a difficult match, he says. Kick-off is 20:00. You can watch the match on news or follow it on news Sport.
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Stunned by the behavior of the Iran journalists at the US press conference – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
