Iran head coach Amir Ghalenoei has claimed that his team was instructed to leave Los Angeles immediately after its 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday night.

The Iranian squad had originally intended to remain in California after the match to recover before returning to its base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, on Tuesday, June 16.

“They didn’t even give us time to recover after the game today,” Ghalenoei said in Farsi, via FIFA’s interpreter. “They said to us, you have to leave immediately, whereas today, it’s very important for us to have time for recovery, but yet [we] have been asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Mexico, in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that.”

Iran’s participation in the World Cup remained uncertain until the final stages because of its conflict with the United States and Israel.

The team had initially planned to set up its base camp in Arizona before later relocating it to Tijuana.

Although all players, including captain Mehdi Taremi, who previously served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were granted visas to enter the United States, several support staff members and a number of Iranian journalists were refused entry permits.

Taremi and Mohammad Mohebi told reporters in the mixed zone that FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited their dressing room before the match and assured them of support, although it remains unclear what assistance was ultimately provided.

“Perhaps our team is the most oppressed one in the whole World Cup,” Ghalenoei said. “The head of the federation is absent. Our media isn’t here, our management, many of them aren’t here. We used to have part of the coaching team to help with substitutions, but we didn’t have that. … That’s why I think we are the most 0ppressed team in the World Cup.”