Iran Targets Mexico as Alternative Host for USA World Cup Matches Over Security Concerns
Mehdi Taj, the President of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), is negotiating with FIFA over the relocation of their World Cup matches from the United States of America to Mexico, citing safety concerns for their players.
The Iranian Football Federation officially informed the Asian Football Confederation of its intention to participate in the FIFA World Cup, explicitly contradicting Ahmad Donyamali’s claim that Iran’s participation was unfeasible.
Windsor John, the General Secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), affirmed the Iranian Football Federation’s stance during a press conference at the confederation’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
Windsor stated, “It’s a very emotional moment. Everybody’s saying a lot of things. At the end of the day, it’s the federation who should decide if they’re playing, and as of today, the federation has told us that they are going to the World Cup.”
In the midst of Iran’s confusing signals over World Cup participation, the country’s Embassy in Mexico announced on Tuesday that it is in talks with FIFA to relocate Iran’s World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico.
Iran will play New Zealand on June 16 and Belgium on June 21 in Inglewood, California, before facing Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
According to reports from Mexico, the Mexican Embassy tweeted a statement attributed to Iranian football federation head Mehdi Taj, stating that Iran wants to shift its group stage matches to Mexico to safeguard the safety of players and officials.
The statement read, “When Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America. We are currently negotiating with FIFA to hold Iran’s matches in the World Cup in Mexico.”
The Iranian national team will compete in the World Cup for the eighth time, having qualified for the previous four editions in Brazil (2014), Russia (2018), Qatar (2022), and United (2026).
Story by Atakorah (PRAMASO)
