The president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, once again called into question his country’s participation in the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada, following the asylum granted by Australia to five players from the women’s team.
“The president of the United States wrote two tweets to ask that political asylum be granted to our players (…), and that if Australia didn’t do it, he would. He caused 160 martyrs by killing our girls in Minab and now he kidnaps our girls. How can we be optimistic in these conditions regarding the World Cup in the United States?”, declared Taj on state television, alluding to an alleged bombing of a school in Minab at the beginning of the war, for which Iran blames Israel and the United States.
“If the World Cup takes place under these conditions, who in their right mind would send their national team to a place like that?” he said.
Iran is due to play two of its three World Cup group stage games in Los Angeles, against Belgium and New Zealand, and one in Seattle, against Egypt.
Australia granted asylum to five players from the Iranian women’s team who were classified as “traitors” in their country after refusing to sing the national anthem before an Asian Cup match, in a context of war in the Middle East since the start of the Israeli-American intervention in Iran on February 28.
This decision was motivated by the risk that the players would be persecuted upon their return, Australian Interior Minister Tony Burke announced this Tuesday.
The players remained silent as Iran’s anthem played before their first Asian Cup match against South Korea two days after the start of the war. In their next two games in the tournament, they sang the anthem.
This attitude was interpreted as an act of rebellion and a state television presenter called the players “traitors in times of war”.
Several people called on Australia to guarantee its safety, including American President Donald Trump.
The Australians “are already taking care of five of them, and the rest will follow. Some, however, feel they must return (to Iran) because they fear for the safety of their families”, declared Trump on Monday (9) after a conversation with the Australian Prime Minister.
Taj had already cast doubt last week on Iran’s participation in the World Cup, which will be played from June 11 to July 19.
