Iran train in Turkey with tight media control ahead of World Cup warm-ups
BELEK, Turkey, March 25 : Iran's men's team trained in southern Turkey on Wednesday as they prepare for two upcoming friendlies ahead of the World Cup, where the squad are likely to attract heightened attention against the backdrop of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
The team held a training session in Belek, a resort area near the Mediterranean city of Antalya, with tightly restricted media access as officials said they wanted to avoid distractions ahead of the matches described as critical to their World Cup preparations.
Iran's football federation is in discussions with world governing body FIFA about moving its World Cup matches to Mexico from the United States due to concerns over player safety, federation President Mehdi Taj said last week.
Iran's camp has largely sought to keep a low public profile as the team build towards the World Cup where they are expected to face intense political and media scrutiny.
In Belek, no interviews with players or coaches were made available, and a team media representative said the squad were focused entirely on their immediate competitive programme.
Iran will play two matches in Antalya, against Nigeria on Friday and Costa Rica on Tuesday.
The friendlies were originally scheduled to take place in Jordan but were moved to Turkey following the outbreak of the Iran war.
The players appeared relaxed during the session in sunny conditions, with staff and players at times chatting and joking.
Among those present was forward Mehdi Taremi, who has been in the spotlight in recent days after swapping shirts with an Israeli opponent while playing for his club Olympiacos in Greece.
Striker Sardar Azmoun was omitted from the squad after posting a picture on his Instagram feed of a meeting with Dubai's ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Iranian media reported that Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals, had been expelled from the national team for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government.
