The Result Under The Result
ANTALYA, Turkey — Iran is heading to the World Cup while the country is at war with the primary host nation, a situation that has no parallel in the tournament's history.
In exclusive interviews during a team camp in Antalya, two members of Iran's squad described how the conflict is affecting their preparations. Saeid Ezatolahi, a 29-year-old midfielder who will appear at his third World Cup, acknowledged the difficulty of balancing football with events back home.
The list looks clean on paper; the hard part is everything that happens after it is printed.
"It's not easy," Ezatolahi said in English on the sidelines of a training session. "For me and some of the other players, it might be easier to manage these kinds of things because we've been through it before. But at the end, it is going to be difficult because at the same time we are following the news in our country, and the political things can affect the mind of the players and the people."
The team has spent more than two weeks in Turkey, most of it practicing at the coastal resort, though some players traveled to Ankara to submit visa applications at the U.S. embassy. Media access to preparations has been limited, and the squad has rarely spoken to international journalists.
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Mohammad Ghorbani, 24, is heading to his first World Cup. The Abu Dhabi-based player spoke to the AP in Farsi.
"We are facing special circumstances, but we are football players and we have to practice and prepare for the competitions ahead," Ghorbani said. "Our people have been going through a lot of difficulties throughout the war. We are going there for them, to get the best results for their joy and the joy of the people of our country."
After receiving visas from the Mexican embassy in Ankara, the team will travel to Mexico this weekend. Problems with visa processing forced Iran's training base to move from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana, on Mexico's border with California. The team will play its first two matches in the Los Angeles area, which has a large Iranian community, many of whom oppose the current government.
"We are expecting a lot of fans at our games," Ezatolahi said. "This is going to be a lot of pressure because the expectations are going to be high. I just wish we can make them proud and show that Iranians are prepared for every hard job in the world."
The Part Still Unclear
Iran opens Group G on June 14 against New Zealand at the Los Angeles Rams' stadium in Inglewood, one day before the team is required to enter the United States. They face Belgium in Inglewood on June 21 and complete group play against Egypt in Seattle on June 26.
"We need to clear our minds and be fresh because our target and our duty is to fight for our people, to represent our country and to show how good we are," Ezatolahi said.
Ghorbani said the team wants to bring joy to Iranians. "The best message I can give is that the Iranian team is showing what it means to be a team," he said. "We are showing that we are one team under one flag that can bring joy to our whole country and show the power of Iranian players to the world."