Asian Football Confederation has received no notification from Iran on World Cup withdrawal
Sports minister said it was impossible for the players to participate in the tournament after the US launched air strikes alongside Israel
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Monday it has not received any notification from Iran that it will withdraw its national team from the World Cup.
Iran have qualified for the 48-team tournament to be held in the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11, and are scheduled to play two group matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
Iran’s sports minister has said it was impossible for the players to participate in the tournament after the US launched air strikes alongside Israel against Tehran, killing the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader.
US President Donald Trump said last week Iran was welcome to participate in the World Cup but that he believed it was not appropriate that they be there “for their own life and safety”.
“It’s a very emotional moment. Everybody’s saying a lot of things,” Windsor John, AFC general secretary, said in Kuala Lumpur.
“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.