Iran should be banned from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for “systematic human rights violations”, the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) says.
The UAF plans to ask world governing body Fifa to stop Iran from participating in the tournament. It believes a crackdown on protests in the country “may violate the principles and norms” of Fifa.
It has also been alleged by US intelligence that Iran has supplied missiles and drones to the Russian army during their invasion of Ukraine.
The UAF cites “the possible involvement of Iran in the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine”.
The UAF’s executive committee met on Monday where it agreed to “make a request to Fifa to consider excluding the Iranian national team” from the World Cup, which starts on Sunday, 20 November.
“Taking into account the media information about the systematic manifestations of human rights violations in Iran, which may violate the principles and norms of the FIFA Charter, taking into account the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 regarding the imposition of sanctions on Iran and the alleged involvement of Iran in the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, [we] appeal to FIFA with proposal to consider the issue of excluding the Iranian national team from the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” the statement read.
Earlier in October, Iranian football and sports personalities and human right’s group, Open Stadiums, also requested Fifa to ban the Iranian national team.
Iran’s Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has reported that 284 people, including 45 children, have been killed by security forces in the crackdown on protests, which followed the death in police custody of a woman accused of wearing her hijab “improperly”.
Iran’s first group match is against England on November 21, before they face Wales on November 25 and the USA on November 29.
