"You are hypocrites, we are hypocrites - and now there is a World Cup here, and we are here to play football."
That was the response from Norwegian national team coach Stale Solbakken when he was asked about Iraq's Aymen Hussein, the forward who was cross-examined for nearly seven hours during his entry into Chicago.
"I think we all agree that was unnecessary", said Solbakken.
It was the start of a series of questions about what he thinks about the fact that several non-sports-related events have affected the build-up to the championships, which are played in Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
"I also think we can all agree that there is a lot that could have been different, but we are all hypocrites. There are a lot of different things I could have wanted to talk about. There are several situations that, of course, could have been done differently", he said.
Solbakken had the opportunity to elaborate on what he meant by "other things we might like to talk about". Then he touched on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
"I actually think about it a lot. Everything from the fact that the host country is at war with another nation (Iran), to challenges like the one you brought up now", replied the national team manager, referring to the visa problems.
Norway will face Iraq in its first game on Wednesday, 17 June.