Iran and Egypt avoided controversial topics before the World Cup match
Iran and Egypt want to focus on football in the match in Seattle, despite it coinciding with the Pride festival. Both teams asked that questions about LGBTQ+ rights not be asked during the press conference.
Iran and Egypt have expressed their desire to focus solely on football ahead of the World Cup match in Seattle. This match coincides with the annual Pride festival in the American city, where LGBTQ+ people face many difficulties in protecting their rights. The Pride match had been scheduled in advance and now coincided with two countries with strict restrictions on homosexuality and LGBTQ+ rights.
Previously in December, both Iran and Egypt requested the organization to cancel Pride activities related to the match, but this request was not received. FIFA has recognized the rainbow flag as a symbol of human rights and allows fans to carry it onto the field.
Before Iran's press conference took place, Daniel Marin, FIFA's public relations director, read a statement from the Iran Football Federation. "The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to inform that it is only available to answer questions related to the match. We fully respect the right of journalists to ask questions, but also ask to respect the right of the federation to only answer questions about the team, tactics and the match."
Even so, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei still faces many questions about Pride. He took a tough stance: "I have said that we came here to play football and for no other reason. Our complete focus is on tomorrow's match and success in that match. We just want to talk about football, about the beauty of the game and the joy it brings."
Egypt also does not want to discuss this issue. Coach Hossam Hassan emphasized: "We only focus on football. That's the only thing we think about."
Ghalenoei also mentioned the difficulties Iran faces during travel during the World Cup. Due to US measures, the team had to stay in Mexico during the group phase and were only allowed to enter the US one day before the first match. For the match against Egypt, Iran was allowed to arrive in Seattle two days earlier. "This is a right that we should also have in the first two matches," he said. "This right has been taken away from us. What they have done for us now is not the same as what they did for the first two matches."
He also expressed his appreciation to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "He did everything he could to mitigate the challenges Iran faced."
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