Iran coach Carlos Queiroz made a plea for football to be separated from politics, minutes after his team beat Morocco 1-0 in their first match of the World Cup on Friday.
He added: "Let them enjoy football like all the other football players in the world. They are not against anyone in particular. They just want to express themselves and play football."
Queiroz warned: "We are in this World Cup under the umbrella of FIFA and the main value of FIFA it is to put politics aside, but this is not what is going on. It is totally unfair to 23 boys who just want to play football. They showed today they deserve to be treated like all the other players in the world.”
Meanwhile he also talked about the process which took them to the top of Group B -- by their victory over Morocco.
The 65 year -old Queiroz added: "After so many years in this business, the first game of a World Cup is always difficult and tough and this was no different - but it was also beautiful. We started very carefully and I'm sure they studied the Iranian team. We knew they have a very strong and powerful start to the game - always with full speed and a great attacking spirit.
"Our strategy was, from the first minute, to create a mental collapse in the Moroccan players, we try to do that by creating frustration and block all the play makers and the players who can create something." he continued.
"It was a beautiful win, three points, and now it is time to rest and think about the game against Spain. Against Spain, everyone from the goalkeeper to the striker can create things so we have to think of a different strategy."
Queiroz speech came after Iran’s preparations were affected somewhat when American sportswear manufacturer , Nike, refused to supply equipment to the Iranian national team and both Greece and Kosovo cancelling friendly matches against them last month.
However,the Iranian football team proved that it can go on and even win and be a star even without a so-called world wide brand like Nike .
