According to FIFA regulations team B should walk towards team A for the pre-match handshakes, and Iran were the team B, while the US were the team A; However, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic regime, Ali Khamenei, "gave express orders that the Iranian team must not walk towards the Americans". Mehrdad Masoudi, one of the FIFA media officer of the match, negotiated with the US team, and the due to that, the Americans walked towards the Iranians.[1]