Iran national football team has rejected suggestions that its participation in the upcoming FIFA World Cup could be in doubt, insisting that no country has the authority to prevent it from competing.
Donald Trump’s comments, in which he stated that Iranian players would be welcome at the event but questioned whether it would be safe for them to participate, prompted the response.
“The Iran National Soccer Team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
His comments came shortly after he had indicated to Gianni Infantino that Iranian players would be allowed to participate in the tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
In a social media statement on Thursday, Iran’s national team pushed back strongly against the suggestion that it could be excluded.
“The World Cup is a historic and international event and its governing body is FIFA — not any individual, country,” the team said.
“Iran’s national team, with strength and a series of decisive victories achieved by the brave sons of Iran, was among the first teams to qualify for this major tournament.
“Certainly no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup; the only country that can be excluded is one that merely carries the title of ‘host’ yet lacks the ability to provide security for the teams participating in this global event.”
The conversation takes place in the context of increased tensions in the Middle East as a result of strikes between the United States and Israel earlier this year, which has sparked concerns about Iran’s attendance at the international competition.
Later on, though, Trump posted another tweet stressing that the US was ready to host the tournament successfully in an effort to reassure teams and fans about the competition’s safety.
“The United States of America looks very much forward to hosting the FIFA World Cup,” he wrote. “Ticket sales are ‘through the roof!’”
