Tehran, Iran – Canada’s men’s soccer team has withdrawn from a football match with Iran scheduled for June 5 after pressure from the Canadian government and families on a downed passenger flight on Tehran in January 2020.
Canada Soccer, the football organization that hosted the June 5 World Cup warm-up match, said Thursday that the match was canceled because of “the unsustainable geopolitical situation of hosting Iran.” [had become] significantly divisive ”.
“While we took external factors into account when selecting the optimal opponent in our original decision-making process, we will strive to move forward better,” it said in a statement.
On January 8, 2020, Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 had just departed from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport when it was the target of two missiles fired from an air defense battery operated by the United States Air Force. Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).
Elite forces say the incident was caused by a “human error” during a state of alarm following its U.S.-based missile attacks on Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of the United States by Commander-in-Chief Qassem Soleimani.
The Canadian government says that among the 176 people who died were 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
The families of the victims had also alleged that if the friendly match with the Iranian team were allowed, IRGC members would enter Canadian soil under the guise of the national team.
“Like many other activities in Iran, football [football] there it is controlled by the IRGC, which is expected to send members to accompany the Iranian team to Canada for the exhibition game, “Hamed Esmaeilion, a spokesman for the family association, said in an article. opinions earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several other politicians had denounced the decision to host the Iranian team. Trudeau had said last week that the match “was not a good idea” and blamed Canada Soccer for making a final decision.
“And in terms of the ability of these players to come to Canada and the teams to come to Canada, border service agencies make professional and independent decisions about the eligibility of people to come to Canada,” he added.
The Canadian government on Thursday expressed its approval of the decision to cancel the match, as Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge welcomed the move.
When asked about Al Jazeera, a sports ministry spokesman declined to comment on the political aspects of the case, saying Canada Soccer should comment as an organizer. Canada Soccer has not responded to any comments yet.
Iran will sue for $ 10 million
The cancellation of the party is likely to have more long-term ramifications, as there were also financial aspects to consider.
Iranian Sports Minister Sina Kalhor announced in a tweet on Thursday that the Iranian Football Federation would sue its Canadian counterpart for $ 10 million as it decided to unilaterally cancel the match in violation of the game. contract.
“The unilateral cancellation of the Iran-Canada match by Canada Soccer once again proved that the slogan of not politicizing football is only a cover for the interests of Western countries,” he wrote.
Earlier this week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh had said the ministry hoped Canada would refrain from politicizing the party, adding that the Canadian government and the football association they would be liable for any breach of contract.
Pressure on Canada Soccer to cancel the match had also increased after reports earlier this week that the organization would pay the Iranian football federation $ 400,000 as part of a standard practice to cover additional expenses, such as travel expenses.
Canada Soccer has not publicly discussed the details of its contract with its Iranian counterpart, citing a confidentiality clause, but its president, Nick Bontis, told Canadian media that “no money has been paid to Iran.”
“This behavior of Canada Soccer is disgusting,” tweeted Canadian High Commissioner to the UK Ralph Goodale, a former Trudeau special adviser on the PS725, earlier this week. “It challenges both the competition and the values of the organization.”
Iran, Canada and the World Cup
The match against the Iranian national team would have been a rare opportunity to test the Canadian team outside its CONCACAF confederation, which covers the Americas and the Caribbean.
They have only played two games against teams outside the CONCACAF since 2018.
The Canadian team, which ranks 38th in the current FIFA World Cup rankings, has secured a place in the World Cup for the first time in 36 years, emerging as the surprise winner of its qualifiers. regionals, ahead of Mexico and the United States.
Canada Soccer had said it chose Iran because the team had a style of play similar to that of Morocco, one of Canada’s opponents in the Qatar tournament.
Iran currently ranks 21st in the men’s soccer world rankings, ahead of other Asian teams. The 2022 tournament will mark his third consecutive World Cup appearance and his sixth overall appearance.
Iran has secured a place in Group B of the most important international football competition, having been paired with the United States and the United Kingdom, two of the country’s most successful political enemies. One from Scotland, Wales or Ukraine will join.