Iran cannot participate in this summer’s FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, said the Iranian sports minister on Wednesday.
“Given that this corrupt government assassinated our leader and created extreme insecurity, we cannot participate in the World Cup,” said Ahmad Donyamali in statements broadcast by Iranian state television. “The players have no security, and the conditions for participation simply do not exist.”
The military campaign conducted by the US, along with its ally Israel, began at the end of February. An Israeli attack on February 28, partially enabled by American intelligence, killed the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other high-ranking officials. At least 1,300 Iranian civilians were killed, according to Amir Saeid Iravani, the country’s ambassador to the UN.
It was not immediately clear whether Iran had formally withdrawn from the tournament. FIFA and the Iranian Football Federation did not immediately respond to NPR’s inquiries.
After FIFA President Gianni Infantino met with President Trump on Tuesday, Infantino said in a statement that Trump had “reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States”.
A team withdrawing from the World Cup so close to the start is unprecedented in the modern era.
According to FIFA regulations, a team that withdraws from a tournament may face a fine of hundreds of thousands of dollars and a possible ban from future competitions.
FIFA would have broad discretion to replace Iran in the tournament with another team, such as an alternative from the Asian Football Confederation, like Iraq or the United Arab Emirates.
Source: npr.org