FIFA is under pressure to give Ukraine Iran’s World Cup spot: ‘This will be a reasonable decision.’
FIFA is under pressure to remove Iran from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and replace them with Ukraine.
Group B consists of Iran, England, the United States, and Wales.
Iran is scheduled to face England in their opening match of the tournament on November 21.
This month, the human rights organization Open Stadiums demanded that the Iranian national team be banned from the World Cup due to the country’s treatment of women.
In response to the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died while in police custody earlier this month, widespread protests swept the nation.
Additionally, the Iranian government has been heavily criticized for its support of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The British Ministry of Defense asserts that Iran continues to supply Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that have been employed against Ukrainian targets.
💬 "Ukraine should be at the World Cup. Iran deserves no place there!"
— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) October 24, 2022
📝 Statement by #Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/JhVk1GUVWo
The chief executive officer of Shakhtar Donetsk, Sergei Palkin, has urged FIFA to strip Iran of their World Cup berth and award it to Ukraine, who were defeated 1-0 by Wales in the play-off final in June.
“While the Iranian leadership will have fun watching their national team play at the #WorldCup, Ukrainians will be killed by Iranian drones and Iranian missiles. Almost 250 such drones have already attacked peaceful cities of #Ukraine,” said Palkin, in a statement released on Shakhtar’s Twitter account.
“Each of them was produced, delivered by the Iranian authorities, Iranian instructors and the military directly trained and managed the launches of drones that destroyed homes, museums, universities, offices, sports grounds and playgrounds, and most importantly, killed Ukrainians.
“Including children. Children who also dreamed of seeing their national team at the #WorldCup.
“#Shakhtar Football Club calls on #FIFA and the entire international community to immediately ban Iran’s national team from playing at the World Cup for the country’s direct participation in terrorist attacks on Ukrainians.
“This will be a fair decision that should draw the attention of the whole world to a regime that kills its best people and helps kill Ukrainians.
“The vacant place should be taken by the national team of #Ukraine, which proved that it is worthy of participation in the mundial. With unequal conditions with other national teams during the play-offs, they played with their heart.
“This decision is historically and sportingly justified. I urge everyone to join the pressure on the football bureaucracy. It is enough to repeat the mistakes of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, hiding behind the empty thesis about the apoliticality of sports.
“Facilitating the participation of terrorists in the World Cup is politics. It’s time to put an end to such a policy. #Ukraine #StandWithUkraine #FootballStandsTogether.”
The World Cup is scheduled to begin in less than a month, with the opening match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador on November 20.
FIFA is under pressure to give Ukraine Iran’s World Cup spot: ‘This will be a reasonable decision.’
