GENEVA (AP) — Pushing back Comments from US President Donald TrumpIran’s national soccer team said that “no one can exclude” Iran from participating in the men’s World Cup to be held in the United States.
instead, Team official Instagram account Thursday suggested the U.S. team might be excluded after President Trump suggested the hosts could not guarantee the safety of Iranian athletes.
President Trump wrote in a social media post Thursday that he welcomes the Iranian national team to the World Cup. Despite the ongoing war with Iran But “for their own lives and safety, we truly believe it’s not appropriate for them to be there.”
Iran will play all three of its World Cup group matches in the United States, which is co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada.
Regional wars have cast doubt on Iran’s ability to qualify for the World Cup. Minister of Sports Ahmad Donyamali He told state television this week that the current situation meant he could not play.
However, the Iranian team’s Instagram response acknowledged that the Iranian team still wanted to participate and pointed out that the tournament was run by FIFA, not Trump or the US.
“The World Cup is a historic and international event whose governing body is FIFA, not any individual or country,” the post said. “Certainly, no one can exclude the Iranian national team from the World Cup. The only countries that could be excluded are those that simply bear the title of ‘host nation’ and lack the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event.”
Iran is scheduled to face New Zealand on June 15 in Inglewood, California, and Belgium on June 21, before concluding group play with Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
mixed message
President Trump’s mixed messages on the matter include saying last week that he “doesn’t care” whether Iran plays or not. Guaranteed FIFA President Gianni Infantino He said he welcomed the Iranian team at the White House on Tuesday.
Iran is a powerhouse in Asian football, ranked 20th in the world by FIFA and has qualified for the World Cup for the fourth consecutive year.
The Iranian Football Federation plans to use the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona, as a base camp for the tournament.
Before the World Cup, Iranian soccer officials are scheduled to attend the FIFA annual general meeting in Vancouver on April 30th. The Iranian Federation was unable to attend a meeting in Atlanta last week to help prepare for the 48-nation tournament.
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