Iran bans sports teams from travelling to countries it deems ‘hostile’

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TEHRAN – Iran has banned national and club sports teams from travelling to countries it considers “hostile” until further notice, Iranian media reported on March 26, citing the sports ministry which said the move was due to concerns over the safety of its athletes.

“The presence of national and club teams in countries considered hostile and unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice,” the ministry said, as quoted by the ISNA news agency.

It added that the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) and clubs were required to notify the Asian Football Confederation so match venues could be relocated.

The ministry cited club team Tractor FC playing a United Arab Emirates team in Saudi Arabia in its statement, but did not specify which venues needed to be relocated or which countries were deemed hostile.

Iran have qualified for the World Cup, which is jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, although their participation in the June 11 to July 19 tournament has been under threat since the conflict between the Islamic republic and US-Israeli forces began in late February.

US President Donald Trump said earlier in March that while Iran’s national team were welcome to play in his country, it might not be appropriate for their “life and safety”.

The FFIRI is in discussions with football’s world governing body FIFA about moving its World Cup matches to Mexico from the US, federation president Mehdi Taj said last week.

The team were scheduled to play their group games against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and Egypt in Seattle.

Last week, however, FIFA president Gianni Infantino appeared to dampen Iran’s hopes of relocation by saying that his organisation wants the tournament to “go ahead as scheduled”.

The squad are in Turkey for friendly internationals against Nigeria on March 27 and Costa Rica on March 31.

While Iran is adamant that safety of its athletes are of utmost importance, there exists an opposite viewpoint – that the regime in the country is one that threatens families if there are perceived acts of disloyalty.

In a high-profile incident earlier in March, six players and a staff member of the Iranian women’s football team had sought asylum in Australia after refusing to sing the national anthem during an Asian Cup game.

The act prompted Tehran to brand them as “traitors”.

Five later reversed their decision and returned to Iran, while two remain in Australia.

Activists have accused the Iranian authorities of pressuring the five women into changing their minds via intelligence agents putting pressure on their families at home. REUTERS, AFP