World Cup: Iran says Washington should take Mexico as a model of hospitality and avoid politicizing sports ⁰

Iran has criticized the United States for the way it has treated World Cup teams upon entry to the country while recommending that Washington take co-host Mexico as a model of hospitality and avoid politicizing sports.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a Wednesday post on his X account that the US is using its hosting of the World Cup as an opportunity to settle political scores.

“Soccer is a platform for healthy competition and for bringing nations closer together, not an excuse to open a Pandora’s box of old grudges and unleash deeply rooted complexes,” said Baghaei in the post.

“The World Cup is conceived as a global celebration of soccer, not as an opportunity to humiliate and discriminate against other nations.”

The spokesman said World Cup co-host Mexico had instead extended a warm welcome to footballers, including the Iranian national team that arrived in the country earlier this week.

He said Mexico’s way of treating the guest teams “serves as a powerful reminder of a simple truth: excellent hospitality is defined by human conduct and the ability to make guests feel genuinely welcomed and valued.”

Baghaei pointed to “troubling reports” about the inappropriate and disrespectful treatment of players, referees, and guests at entry points to the US, saying those reports would undermine huge efforts by the US to portray itself as a successful host of the World Cup.

“The true credibility of a host country is not measured solely by sports facilities or political grandiosity, but by the quality of treatment given to those who arrive in its country out of love for soccer,” he said.

In a move widely criticized in the world of politics and sport, the US government has refused to grant visas to some members of the Iranian football delegation seeking to attend the World Cup games.

US President Donald Trump also posted during the US-Israeli aggression on Iran in March, threatening that the presence of Iranian footballers in the US for World Cup games could pose risks to them.

Iran has repeatedly slammed Washington for its politicized way of treating the World Cup, saying the US should respect the rights of players and staff to attend the games.

Source: Press TV