Thursday’s press conference began with a FIFA official reading a statement from the Football Federation of Iran, telling reporters Ghalenoei would only answer questions about the Egypt game.
But Ghalenoei brought up travel restrictions on Iran without being asked about the issue.
Ghalenoei, echoing Egypt coach Hossam Hassan’s comments, said his side were only concerned with the match.
“We are going to be positive,” he said. “We are not going to think about any other issues … we seek to bring joy to our people.”
He added: “Our entire focus is going to be on tomorrow’s game, on succeeding in tomorrow’s game, and anything else that is banned … we don’t want to speak about it.
“We are only going to speak about football, what a beautiful game it is and how enjoyable it’s going to be.”
