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Iran midfielder Mohammad Mohebi has addressed the controversy surrounding his goal celebration during the team's FIFA 2026 World Cup opener against New Zealand, which many interpreted as a 'gun' gesture, according to Goal.com.
Mohebi said that it was "just a celebration" and that he wanted to say 'thank you' to all Iranians who live in Los Angeles. Mohebi came into focus after scoring Iran's 64th-minute equaliser in the match at Inglewood, Los Angeles. While the goal helped Team Melli secure a 2-2 draw, his celebration quickly drew more attention than the match itself. After scoring, Mohebi was seen pointing two fingers toward his arm before extending two fingers on his right hand and moving them through the air. The gesture was widely interpreted by observers as resembling a "gun" motion. However, after the match, Mohebi clarified that it was simply a goal celebration with no deeper meaning or intent. "I wanted to say thank you to all Iranians who live in Los Angeles, they make a great atmosphere. The celebration came to mind, and I do this [gestures] for all of the fans, just a celebration, you know," he said, as quoted by Goal.com. Defender Rezaeian had also attracted attention after scoring and running towards supporters with his shirt covering his face. When questioned about his celebration, he admitted there was a political aspect to it but chose not to go into further detail. "It's something political (his goal celebration), I don't want to talk about that. We are here to answer football questions. If there is a problem between us (the Iranian people), it is between us," he said after the match. Notably, Iran arrived at the World Cup amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran. Iran had even shifted their World Cup base camp from Arizona to the Mexican city of Tijuana following uncertainty surrounding entry arrangements to the United States. The move came after weeks of concern over whether members of the Iranian delegation would receive the necessary visas to travel for the tournament. Coming to the match, Iran and New Zealand played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in their World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. New Zealand took an early lead through Elijah Just, but Iran equalised via Ramin Rezaeian before half-time. New Zealand regained the advantage in the second half through Just's second goal, set up by Chris Wood, but Iran responded again with Mohammad Mohebbi's header to level the score as both teams ultimately shared the points in a tightly contested Group G encounter. (ANI)
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