Julen Lopetegui Talks About Madibo's Visit After Injury
Julen Lopetegui did not talk tactics first. He talked about a visit.
On the eve of Qatar’s final Group A game, his midfielder Assim Madibo was not with the squad. He was in Vancouver, sitting with the player whose leg he broke.
Madibo’s red card in Qatar’s 6-0 hammering by Canada last week came after a tackle that left Ismael Koné with a broken leg and facing at least five months out. The moment it happened, Madibo knew. He looked shattered on the pitch, inconsolable as Koné received treatment.
Days later, he boarded a plane.
“Now in the current moment Madibo is in Vancouver visiting Kone because he was very, very affected by this injury – it was never his intention. It was a very clear accident,” Lopetegui said on Tuesday. “We wish him [Kone] all the best to recover as soon as possible.”
Koné, Sassuolo’s midfielder in Serie A and one of Canada’s brightest talents, has had successful surgery. Madibo, suspended for Wednesday’s meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle, will not kick another ball in this group stage. Homam Ahmed is banned as well after his own red card in the same brutal night for Qatar.
So while his teammates prepare, Madibo has tried to repair something else: a conscience bruised almost as badly as Koné’s leg. In a tournament obsessed with fine tactical details and marginal gains, this was a reminder that some players carry more than just minutes in their legs.
Iran’s message: #168
Across the continent, another team used its final group preparations to send a message of a very different kind.
Iran trained in Tijuana on Tuesday night with black corner flags marked “#168”. Not a marketing slogan. A number.
It refers to the at least 168 people, mostly children, killed when an elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, was struck on 28 February – the first day of what has become known as the US-Israel war on Iran. The attack was attributed to the US military. Donald Trump, speaking last week, called it a mistake. “Nobody did that on purpose. Mistakes are made. The war is nasty.”
Iran’s players have refused to let the number drift into the background noise of a long tournament. When they first arrived in Mexico earlier this month, straight from a camp in Turkey, they stepped off the plane wearing pin badges on their lapels. The same message. “#168”.
Now it is on the training pitch.
Fifa’s regulations are clear: equipment must not carry political, religious or personal slogans or images. Teams risk sanctions if they cross that line. Whether black corner flags at a closed training session count, and how far Fifa are willing to push this, remains an open question. Fifa has been contacted for comment.
Iran’s stance has not been confined to symbols. After Sunday’s draw with Belgium in Los Angeles, the squad left a handwritten note in the dressing room at Los Angeles Stadium, again carrying the “#168” tag but framed in something broader.
“From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilised Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast. We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honour, and leave with dignity,” it read. “Thank you Los Angeles for your hospitality. And thank you to every Iranian who gave their heart, voice and soul for Iran throughout these 180 minutes. May peace, respect and friendship prevail among all nations.”
It was a statement as much about identity as about football. A team using the World Cup spotlight to talk about loss, history and the idea of Iran, not just its national side.
Head coach Amir Ghalenoei has already called Iran the “most oppressed” team at this World Cup, angry at travel restrictions that forced them to arrive in Los Angeles only 24 hours before their games against New Zealand and Belgium. This week, they have been granted a little more leeway.
The squad will leave Tijuana and land in Seattle at 11.30am local time on Wednesday, two days before they face Egypt on Friday. That in itself is unusual: special permission was needed to allow an arrival in the US 48 hours before kick-off.
The match carries another layer of tension. It is the tournament’s designated Pride Match, scheduled to coincide with Seattle’s Pride weekend. Both Iran and Egypt have complained to Fifa about the celebrations planned around the fixture. The governing body has pressed ahead.
So Iran will walk into a stadium wrapped in rainbow colours, with #168 still stitched into their public messaging, and a coach who believes his team are fighting on several fronts at once.
On the training pitch in Tijuana, amid the black flags, there was at least one moment of unambiguous celebration. Alireza Jahanbakhsh, the former Brighton winger, received a commemorative shirt to mark his 100th cap, reached in the draw with Belgium. A century for a player who has lived most of his international career under some kind of storm.
From Madibo’s quiet visit in Vancouver to Iran’s loud symbolism in Mexico and soon Seattle, this World Cup keeps reminding everyone that the game never exists in a vacuum. Some players are chasing points. Others are carrying numbers.
