‘Points can be won…but respect cannot’: Iran football team
3 min readUpdated: Jun 27, 2026 09:10 PM IST The Iranian football team left another handwritten note after their 1-1 draw against Egypt on Saturday. “We come from IRAN…..#IRI from a land that, for thousands of years, has placed honour above victory. For us, Football is not only a competition for results, but it is a test of character. Perhaps Points can be won in many ways, but respect cannot. Perhaps a team can advance from a group, but only through fairness and honor con one stand tall before history. Fair Play is not just a line in football’s rules, it is the soul of the game,” the note read. Iran was originally scheduled to base in Tucson, Arizona, for their World Cup campaign but had to move to Tijuana, Mexico, after the US government stopped the team from basing in the country amid the US-Iran war, forcing them to leave US cities the same night as their World Cup matches. Iran skipper Mehdi Taremi hit out at FUFA and US authorities, calling the World …