TIJUANA – Fewer than 150 miles (240 kilometers) from the Los Angeles stadium set to host World Cup action, Iran’s national team is based at a hotel in Tijuana, Mexico. Outside the Marriott, security is tight: barricades block the entrance, while police officers and members of Mexico’s National Guard stand watch with weapons at the ready. Access is limited to guests with reservations or those who have received special clearance.
Even with the political strain and logistical hurdles surrounding Iran’s World Cup campaign, the atmosphere inside the four-star hotel early Saturday felt calm and upbeat. Dozens of supporters gathered, chatting and sharing their anticipation as they waited for a glimpse of the players before the team left for its second group-stage match.
“I wanted to come down to support Iranian soccer, and cheer for them when they exited the building and make them happy,” said 13-year-old Lucas Zarrabi. The teenager, who was at Monday’s 2-2 draw against New Zealand and also has a ticket for Sunday’s game with Belgium, was among several Los Angeles-area fans who drove to Tijuana to be near the team. Others traveled from San Jose, California, and as far as Miami to reach the hotel, located just under 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the border crossing.
For some supporters, simply being there carried added meaning because they believe the team has been subjected to unfair treatment. Following the outbreak of war, Iran was required to relocate its base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana. Eleven federation officials and staff members were not granted U.S. visas. U.S. authorities also rejected Iran’s request to arrive two days ahead of matches, instead requiring the squad to leave immediately after each game.
“Every little technicality is making it difficult for the team,” said Abbas Eftekhari, who was born in Iran and has lived in the United States for more than four decades. “I think this is going to drain them psychologically and also physically.”
Iran’s soccer federation has publicly criticized the barriers facing the team and said it plans to file a complaint with FIFA.
“Football shouldn’t lose its power to politics,” Hedayat Mombeini, secretary-general of the Iran Football Federation, said Friday. He said the restrictions “are certainly having a negative effect on us, but we are trying to overcome these problems with our Iranian pride.”
Since the team arrived on June 7, Ali Eslami has gone to the hotel gates almost every day.
“It’s the best pleasure for me. I wished them the best luck, I told them it’s hard but they’re doing excellent things,” said Eslami, who splits his time between Southern California and Tijuana.
He was there again Friday, waiting for the players to return from afternoon training just blocks away at the Estadio Caliente, home to the Liga MX’s Xolos.
“I have been in America for 50 years — this has been the most emotional thing, to see the team that I have not seen in 50 years,” he said.
Some Iran fans fear reprisal from fellow members of the diaspora for supporting the team, insisting they were in Tijuana for the love of soccer and the players, not politics. Eftekhari worries that the mood at Iran’s first match, where fans and protesters clashed, impacted the players.
“As soon as they see that their countrymen have slogans against them, it also has a negative psychological effect on them. But, that’s how things are at this time,” Eftekhari says.
Just over 24 hours until Sunday’s noon kickoff, it’s not just Iranian fans contributing to the atmosphere. A group of flight attendants from China staying at the hotel embrace the excitement, donning jester hats and waving scarves with red, white and green. And soccer fans from Tijuana are eager to show some local hospitality. Iran has diplomatic ties with Mexico, unlike the U.S., and had sought to move its group stage matches to the country where it has an embassy.
“We love the Mexican people very much and for us, the best situation is for our games to be held in Mexico,” Abolfazl Pasandideh, the Iranian ambassador to Mexico, said at the time.
Leonardo Ramirez Lopez, a 10-year-old soccer fanatic from Tijuana, clutches his autograph album in hopes he’ll get more signatures.
“It’s a new team that I don’t have experience with how they play,” he says. But Iran is already his third-favorite team, behind Colombia and Argentina.
After more than two hours of waiting, several dozen fans break into cheers as players finally file through the lobby. The squad smiles and waves, stopping for a few autographs. As each player leaves, he kisses a Quran, pressing his forehead against it before boarding the bus to Tijuana’s airport.
“Iran, Iran! Whoop, whoop!” fans cry, breaking into song.
___
AP World Cup coverage:
