Iran has banned its sports teams from traveling to countries it considers “hostile”, state television reported on Thursday. The ban, announced by the Sports Ministry in Tehran, did not mention the World Cup, which starts on June 11 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The ministry’s statement highlighted Tractor’s match against Dubai’s Shabab Al Ahli, which was scheduled to be played in Saudi Arabia. This is an Asian Football Confederation Champions League play-off game.
“The entry of national teams and clubs into countries considered hostile and which cannot guarantee the safety of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice,” the ministry said.
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The war in Iran has affected the region, and almost every country in the Middle East has suffered damage from missile, drone or shrapnel attacks.
The Tractor Tournament playoff match in Saudi Arabia was the result of a draw carried out by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Wednesday to define the quarter-final clashes. The draw took place one day after the announcement of the rescheduling of the West Zone matches, which had been postponed due to the war in the Middle East, for April 13th and 14th, in Jeddah.
The Saudi city will also host the quarterfinals, semifinals and final of the tournament, between April 16th and 25th. Organizers are defining the dates and hoping for peace in the region.
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The Iranian Football Ministry added that the football federation and clubs “will be responsible for notifying the Asian Football Confederation of the matter so that matches can be rescheduled.”
IRAN’S POSITION ON THE WORLD CUP
The Iranian ambassador to Mexico indicated that the country was negotiating with FIFA to move the Iranian national team’s three group stage games to the Latin American country, rather than playing them in the United States, after US President Donald Trump discouraged the team’s participation in the 48-team tournament, citing security concerns.
However, the president of football’s governing body, Gianni Infantino, further cooled Iran’s attempts to transfer its World Cup commitments last week, saying FIFA wants the tournament to “proceed as planned”.
The Iranian government and football officials have denied any intention to boycott the World Cup. However, they emphasize that it is not possible for the national team to travel to the United States due to the military attacks launched by the USA and Israel against Iran since February 28.
