The Iranian national football team left a handwritten note in its locker room following its group stage match against Belgium on Sunday.
The note stated that the players came to the United States with “pride, competed with honor, and leave with dignity.”
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They also thanked Los Angeles for its hospitality.
In its final line, the note read: “May peace, respect, and friendship prevail among all nations.”
Iran’s national team now travels to Seattle for its final group stage match against Egypt on Friday, June 26. A win would boost their chances of advancing to the knockout stages.
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After Sunday’s match, Iranian national team player Alireza Jahanbakhsh said he doesn’t want to focus on recent challenges, and that the squad is now concentrating on recovery and preparing for the trip to Seattle.
“We hope to get there as soon as possible to adapt,” he said. “We don’t ask for much. We just ask for the same procedure as all the other 47 teams. Hopefully, we can bring everyone who is involved and help us with us.”
The team’s home base has been in Tijuana, Mexico, rather than Arizona, where they were originally scheduled to stay — the result of travel restrictions affecting the team. The Iranian Football Federation has said in recent days that it plans to file a complaint with FIFA over the situation.
