Iran fume over US visa delay after late World Cup arrival in Mexico

Iran's World Cup squad has finally arrived in Mexico, but head coach Amir Ghalenoei is furious after US visa delays threw their preparation into chaos. "We should have been here last week because a 12-hour time difference needs two weeks of adjusting," he told reporters on Sunday, making clear the team feels disrespected. Some support staff are still waiting for visas, and Ghalenoei believes ethical considerations were ignored entirely. "Usually in these tournaments, before technical matters, ethical and human considerations must be respected – which I think for us it was not the case." Iran now faces a compressed adjustment window before the tournament kicks off on Mexican soil (1).