Iran’s sports minister has confirmed Tehran’s national team will boycott the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament after the United States assassinated its Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Considering that this corrupt regime [the US] has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup,” Ahmad Donyamali told state television on Wednesday.
The United States will co-host the World Cup with Canada and Mexico, but all of Iran’s group-stage matches have been scheduled to take place in American cities, including Los Angeles and Seattle.
The US and Israeli war on Iran, which began on February 28, has killed at least 1,255 people and injured more than 12,000 during the first 12 days of the conflict.
Tehran has responded by launching waves of missiles and drones at Israel, several military bases in the Middle East where US forces operate, and infrastructure across the region.
“Our children are not safe and, fundamentally, such conditions for participation do not exist,” Donyamali said.
“Given the malicious actions they have carried out against Iran, they have forced two wars on us over eight or nine months and have killed and martyred thousands of our people. Therefore, we certainly cannot have such a presence.”
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It is the first time a senior Iranian official has commented on the country’s potential participation in the global tournament since the US and Israel launched their attacks on Iran on 28 February.
Last week, the head of the Iranian Football Federation also raised doubts about the team’s participation, although he stopped short of saying the side would boycott the competition.
“After this attack (on Iran), we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj, president of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), said on March 1.
“If the World Cup is like this, who in their right mind would send their national team to a place like this?” Taj asked on Iranian state television.
Earlier, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Iran’s participation in the World Cup would be welcomed by US President Donald Trump, with whom he met to discuss the upcoming tournament amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Infantino said on Wednesday that Trump “reiterated that the Iranian team is welcome to compete in the tournament”, which is being co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada in June and July.
During a meeting to discuss preparations for the competition, “we also spoke about the current situation in Iran,” Infantino, the head of world football’s governing body, wrote on Instagram.
“During the discussions, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” he wrote.
Iran was the first country to secure qualification for the World Cup, which will run from June 11 to July 19.
