The Football Federation of Iran (FFIRI) has threatened to withdraw the Iranian football team from the World Cup, which will be held this summer in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in attacks by the Israeli army with the support of the United States of America, and because of this, the FFIRI is considering a radical decision – to withdraw the national team from the World Cup.
FFIRI President Mehdi Taj hinted at this possibility in an interview with Tehran television.
“Given what happened and the attack by the United States of America, we can hardly expect to participate in the World Cup, but the final decision on this should be taken by the sports leaders,” Taj said.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom said he hoped Iran would participate in the tournament.
“We will monitor developments. Our goal is of course a World Cup in which all national teams will participate,” Grafström said.
If Iran withdraws, FIFA regulations dictate that the vacant position be filled with a replacement team, usually the one that was next in the qualifiers or the highest-ranked national team from the same confederation that did not qualify.
As a result, the United Arab Emirates, who were the highest-ranked team in the Asian qualifiers that did not qualify, or Iraq, who will play in the intercontinental match from Asia, could play in the World Cup.
As a reminder, Iran is scheduled to play all three group stage matches against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt in the United States of America.