Milan, 11 June (LaPresse) – ‘I’ve played in three World Cups and people always say that, once you’ve got off the plane and arrived in the host country, there’s a unique atmosphere of warmth and cosmopolitanism. Unfortunately, I don’t feel that right now.’ So said Iran striker Mehdi Taremi during an interview with ESPN ahead of the start of the World Cup. ‘There is a lot of tension surrounding this World Cup. You can feel it in the air and, unfortunately, it is due to incidents such as visa refusals. Perhaps it is just my personal impression,’ added the former Inter striker. ‘The team isn’t just made up of the players and the manager, but also all the support staff: the technical staff, the management. We’re all one united team,’ said Taremi, referring specifically to the officials left behind in Iran without visas. ‘There shouldn’t be any discrimination in sport. Everyone should be treated equally, and we hope the situation is resolved soon,’ concluded Taremi.