Publish Date: 18 January 2020 - 19:40

TEHRAN, Jan. 18 (MNA) – Referring to AFC’s letter to the Iranian Football Federation, chairman of sport faction of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Reza Tabesh said that the unilateral action of the AFC shows that it is caught in a political trap.

Referring to the AFC decision which says Iranian teams should host their rivals in 2020 ACL in a neutral venue, the Iranian MP said the decision is made based on political motives instead of one related to sports. 

Unfortunately, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) was caught in a political trap regardless of Iran's situation, he added.

He said that the cancellation of Iran's hosting is beyond the sports perspective, and Iran must seek to resolve this issue using the capacity of sports diplomacy.

The AFC’s decision is not just a ban on hosting sports competition but an insult to Iran, he noted, adding, “Which country in the region enjoys the security of Iran? Why doesn't AFC give warnings to the countries involved in the war in the Middle East?”

Following AFC’s decision, four teams that represent Iran in this year’s AFC Champions League announced that they will participate in the event only if they can host their rivals in Iran.

According to informed sources, the four teams have signed and sent a letter to the AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa on recent developments regarding Iran’s capability to host rivals.

The letter notes that the Iranian teams will not give in to AFC’s political decision and will not host their rivals in any country other than Iran, said the source, adding that the stance is being taken to preserve Iran’s dignity, defend Iran’s security, and prevent interference of politics in sports.

MNA/IRN 83638461