U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin celebrated Iran’s elimination from the World Cup, saying he did a “happy dance,” Sports Business Journal reported on Monday.
The Iranian team barely missed out on reaching the knockout rounds of the tournament. They drew all three of their matches in Group G and finished as the ninth-best third-place team after Austria scored a last-minute goal against Algeria in the final group-stage match. The top eight third-place teams earned spots in the round of 32.
Mullin didn’t hide his overjoyed reaction to the news that Iran was eliminated. He spoke at a World Cup security briefing in Washington, per SBJ, saying he was “so glad they’re gone” and that he was “very happy they’re going back because there wasn’t a single team that we dealt with more than them.”
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With the United States in the middle of a military and political conflict with Iran, the U.S. government restricted the Iranian soccer team’s movements during the World Cup.
Prior to the event, Iran moved its planned training base from Tucson, Ariz., to Tijuana. The U.S. limited the amount of time the Iranian team could spend in the country preceding each match and required the squad to exit the nation right after each contest.
Mullin told reporters following the Monday briefing, according to SBJ, “I’m just glad they’re done, and they’re not coming back. I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the U.S. soil, and I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.”
Mullin maintained that “almost half” of the people Iran wanted to bring to the U.S. for the World Cup were directly tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an assertion that the Iranian federation stated was “completely unsupported by any evidence.”
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team was treated “very unfairly” during the tournament.
Speaking following Iran’s 1-1 draw against Egypt on Friday in Seattle, Ghalenoei said, “It was the host that wasn’t very good to us. I urge FIFA to not let the hosts treat teams and players the same way in the future. I hope Mr. Infantino will actually stand up to such behavior.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is famously close to Donald Trump, having awarded the U.S. president the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” in December.
Ghalenoei added that the United States’ “behavior towards us has been really terrible and we hope the world will be aware of that. Despite all of these problems, we’ve been able to perform well and the world is proud of Iranians and our team. I think that’s our greatest achievement despite all the obstacles and the hurdles they put in our way.”
The Iranian team left notes in the locker room for the hosts after their final two matches. The note in Inglewood, Calif., following a scoreless draw with Belgium on June 21 read: “From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilized Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast. We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honor, and leave with dignity.”
The note left in Seattle read: “Perhaps points can be won in many ways. Perhaps a team can advance from a group, but only through fairness and honor can one stand tall before history. Fair play is not a line in football’s rules; it is the soul of the game. Thank you, Seattle, for your hospitality, and thank you to all Iranians, who gave their hearts, voices, and their whole being for Iran.”