Trump: Not 'appropriate' for Iran to be at men's football World Cup
· Yahoo Sports
US President Donald Trump believes the Iranian men's national football team should skip the World Cup in North America in June, saying it would not be appropriate for them to attend "for their own lives and safety."
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"The Iranian national football team is welcome at the World Cup, but I really don't think it's appropriate for them to be there – for their own lives and safety," Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Thursday.
Iran's national team later pushed back against Trump's remarks, saying in a statement posted on social media that "the World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA – not any individual, country."
"Iran's national team ... was among the first teams to qualify for this major tournament," the statement said.
"Certainly no one can exclude Iran's national team from the World Cup; the only country that could be excluded is one that merely carries the title of 'host' yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event."
On Wednesday, Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali ruled out their participation in the United States, Canada and Mexico owing to the ongoing war.
Meanwhile, several players from the Iranian women's team have applied for asylum in Australia, where they were for the Asian Cup, after fears that their decision not to sing the national anthem could have consequences for them back home.
Iran were set to face Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt with all three matches to be played in the US. The United States and Israel have been attacking Iran since the end of February. Tehran is carrying out counterstrikes in the region.
If Iran does not take part, world football governing body FIFA has a quandary over which nation to invite in their place to the expanded 48-team tournament.
Fellow Asian Football Confederation members Iraq face a World Cup play-off against Bolivia or Suriname on March 31 in Mexico.
Iraq have asked for the game to be postponed as they face difficulties reaching Mexico due to air travel being complicated by the war.
One solution for FIFA would be to quickly nominate Iraq as Iran's replacement and spare them the journey. The winner of the semi-final play-off between Bolivia and Suriname would then qualify directly for the finals.
In a separate post later on Thursday, Trump said the US "looks very much forward to hosting the FIFA World Cup."
"Ticket sales are 'through the roof!' It will be the Greatest and Safest Sporting Event in American History. All Players, Officials, and Fans will be treated like the 'STARS' that they are!" he wrote.