Amid the military tension in the Middle East over the United States’ attacks on Iran, the conflict between the two nations extends to the soccer field. Through an exchange of statements, the Asian team’s participation in the World Cup is in jeopardy.
During the week, Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Doyanmali announced at a press conference that his team was giving up its ticket because there are no security guarantees to set foot on US soil.
Subsequently, Donald Trump, President of the United States, refuted this by saying that the Iranian team was welcome at the World Cup despite the ongoing war, but that “I really don’t think it’s appropriate for them to be there, for their own life and safety”.
In response to Trump’s comments, Iran said that “no one can exclude it” from participating in the men’s World Cup in the United States, raising doubts as to whether it is really withdrawing from the tournament or considering competing
The Iranian Football Federation also suggested that perhaps the US team should be excluded after the president indicated that the host country could not guarantee the safety of Iranian players.
Iran’s World Cup scenario
Iran was placed in Group G against Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt. Its three scheduled matches in the first phase will be played in the United States; Los Angeles and Seattle are the cities hosting their games.
The agenda that is shaking Iran
Arizona is affected by the uncertainty with Iran’s selection because Kino Sports Complex in Tucson was chosen by the Asians as their base of operations and camp during the tournament. The presence of the Iranians implies a decent economic income that, in turn, would represent the generation of local employment; however, given the situation, everything has stopped.
On the other hand, representatives of the Iranian federation are expected to attend FIFA’s annual congress. The event will be held on April 30 in Vancouver.
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