The President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the Islamic Republic of Iran Reza Salehi Amiri said on Friday that the granting of hosting the qualifying matches of the Iranian national team for the 2022 World Cup to Bahrain is the result of the world football and Asian football collusion.
According to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Bahrain was chosen as the centralised venues for the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and AFC Asian Cup China 2023™ matches scheduled to take place from 31 May to June 15, 2021.
Salehi Amiri in a TV interview said that supporting the presidency of AFC by Sheikh Salman was wrong, adding, "The elimination of Iran hosting the matches and granting it to Bahrain is the result of collusion in Asian football and the silence of the world football federation ."
Iran was originally scheduled to host three matches out of four remaining matches before coronavirus shut down the competitions, according to Tehran Times.
Salehi Amiri went on to say, "This issue will be followed up on during a joint meeting with the ministries of Sports, Foreign Affairs and the National Olympic Committee next week."
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