BERLIN (GERMANY) (ITALPRESS) – More likely out than in. In recent days the Iranian Football Federation president, Mehdi Taj, had already expressed considerable pessimism about Iran’s participation in the next FIFA World Cup, which will take place this summer across Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Now the country’s Sports Minister, Ahmad Donjamali, has reinforced that position. “Since this corrupt government has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances would the conditions exist for us to participate in the World Cup,” he said in a television interview, as reported by the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Donjamali spoke of “evil actions carried out against Iran” and stressed that “over the past eight or nine months, two wars have been imposed on us and several thousand of our citizens have been killed. For this reason, we absolutely have no possibility of participating.”
The FAZ notes that it is still unclear whether the statement made by the Iranian minister represents a definitive position. What is certain is that it contrasts with what FIFA president Gianni Infantino said just a few hours earlier about the reassurances he received from Donald Trump: “He reiterated to me that the Iranian team is naturally welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS)
