Gianni Infantino has firmly dismissed all safety concerns and rejected demands to relocate Iran’s group-stage matches from the United States.
The FIFA President insisted that Iran will play its World Cup games exactly where they were drawn, despite the ongoing war with the US-Israel alliance.
Infantino made the clear statement on Tuesday, March 31, during halftime of Iran’s friendly match against Costa Rica in Antalya, Turkey. He told AFP: “Iran will be at the World Cup. The matches will be played where they are supposed to be, according to the draw.”
Infantino Attends Iran Friendly Quietly
His surprise appearance at the warm-up game came without any prior announcement. This happened just weeks after the Iranian football federation said it wanted to negotiate with FIFA to shift Iran’s matches to Mexico for security reasons.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum had already offered to host Iran’s first-round games if needed.
Interestingly, Infantino had earlier expressed serious worries about the safety of the Iranian team. He once said they should not travel to the tournament “for their own life and safety.” However, he has now changed his position and strongly supports keeping the matches in the United States.
Iran Rejects Any Exclusion
Iran quickly pushed back against any suggestion of removing its team. Iranian officials stated clearly that “no one can exclude Iran’s national team from the World Cup.”
The issue has become highly sensitive because of the ongoing conflict that began on February 28. Many fans and officials worry about the safety of players and supporters travelling to the United States.
Despite the tension, FIFA President Infantino made it clear that the original schedule will stand. He showed no signs of reconsidering the decision.
This firm stance by FIFA comes at a time when the war continues to affect many aspects of international sports and diplomacy.
