He made the remarks on Sun. in an interview with IRNA and said, “in the current situation, the best decision for the Iranian teams is to withdraw from AFC Champions League but the Federation should follow up decisive measures and defend Iran’s right in this regard.”
After the unjust and illegal decision taken by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), senior officials of the Iran Football Federation (IFF) should have traveled to Malaysia in order to follow up the issue.
Iran is one of the safest countries in the world, he said, adding, “to date, Iran has hosted many prestigious sports competitions in the best form possible.”
He reiterated, “unfortunately, some Persian Gulf Arab states are fear of Iran’s undisputed football power and are trying to marginalize this issue, so senior sports officials of the country should stand up against AFC’s illegal decision taken.”
Anyway, Iranian dignity should be fully preserved in this respect, Mostafavi said, adding, “we should prove that any institution and entity cannot cross the redlines.”
The report on the ban of Iranian teams for hosting their rivals in the 2020 AFC Champions League has provoked a furious but united response against what has become known as the most political decision of the AFC.
Initial reports on the ban started interestingly with a Saudi Arabian TV host who announced the news citing informed sources. A day later, the Iranian Football Federation (IFF) confirmed that it has received a letter from the AFC which says Iranian teams should host their rivals in 2020 ACL in a neutral venue due to security concerns.
Although the decision is not finalized yet as the AFC’s Executive Committee has not endorsed it, millions of Iranian football fans along with officials have expressed their anger at the initial decision.
MNA/IRN83638478
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