An ideological tug-of-war: the pressures facing Iran’s World Cup squad in US
Flag bans, travel headaches and a religious regime video among bumps in road, as team prepares to be first to play in country with which it is at war Iran will present a major challenge to Fifa’s “football unites the world” slogan on Monday by becoming the first country in World Cup history to compete on the soil of a host nation with which it is at war . The national team’s opening match against New Zealand in Los Angeles will kick off amid continuing hostilities between Iran and the US that h…

