UKRAINE'S Football Association has demanded that FIFA remove Iran from the World Cup in Qatar.
The World Cup starts on the 30th of November this month and UAF's executive committee have asked FIFA to kick Iran out of the event for its systematic human rights violations” and “the possible involvement of Iran in the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine”.
If this were to happen it would then mean that England would have no first group stage opponent. Gareth Southgate's men play Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha on the 21st of November.
Protests against the Iranian government have engulfed the country since the death of a 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini, who died in custody on 16 September.
Amini was arrested for violating Iran’s rules requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf.
More than 200 people, including 23 children, have since been killed in the worst domestic crisis to engulf the Islamic state since its 1979 revolution.
BREAKING: The executive committee of the Ukraine FA have appealed to FIFA to ban Iran from the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/3npffZRlrG
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 31, 2022
Ukraine's top football officials have also accused of Iran of supplying weapons to the Russian military and aiding their invasion of Ukraine. This would be a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
A statement from UAF read: "Taking into account media information about systematic human rights violations in Iran, which may violate the principles and norms of the FIFA statutes, taking into account the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 regarding the imposition of sanctions on Iran and the possible involvement of Iran in the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine, to make a request to FIFA to consider excluding the Iranian national team from the 2022 FIFA World Cup."
Russian teams and sports stars have been banned from various competitions from F1, Wimbledon, and football's big tournaments like the Champions League this year. Ukraine have now asked FIFA to do the same for the alleged involvement in the war
A paragraph on the same webpage also added: "Taking into account media information about systematic human rights violations in Iran, which may violate the principles and norms of the FIFA Statutes, taking into account the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 regarding the imposition of sanctions on Iran and the possible involvement of Iran in the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine, to make a request to the FIFA to consider excluding the Iranian national team from the 2022 FIFA World Cup."
FIFA have not responded to the UAF's request as of yet despite the World Cup starting at the end of the month.
