“I danced with joy.” An American minister admits that he celebrated Iran’s exit from the World Cup | sports

A senior US government official said he was “very happy” that Iran’s national soccer team was eliminated from the World Cup.

British news agency PA Media reported that Iran’s participation in the tournament was uncertain in the months preceding the World Cup after the United States and Israel launched air strikes on the country last February.

But the Iranian national team came to the tournament, and was close to qualifying for the round of 32 after drawing in its three matches in the group stage, and almost winning against Egypt in the last match, before a goal scored in the last moments was canceled due to offside.

The Iranian Football Federation filed several complaints about the way it was treated by the American authorities during the tournament, while coach Amir Qala Nooyi described his team as “the most unfairly exposed” in the World Cup.

American happiness over Iran’s exit

US Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullen, said during a security briefing related to the World Cup, saying: “I am very happy that they left the tournament. They will not return.”

He added: “I was very happy when we were able to cancel their visas and tell them that they could leave American territory. I may have sung a song or two or perhaps even danced for joy.”

The Iranian national team moved its training headquarters to the Mexican city of Tijuana, near the Mexican border, in May, after it was scheduled to be in Tucson, Arizona, while all its matches were held in the United States, with the first two matches being held in Los Angeles and the last in Seattle.

Among Iran’s complaints during the tournament was a condition imposed by the authorities requiring the team to leave immediately after each match.

When asked about this, Mullen said: “It was just an agreement between us, to let them leave directly.”

He added: “The match ends, and they return to the hotel or their camp, where they feel more comfortable. This was an agreement made with FIFA before the matches started.”