TEHRAN, Iran: Iran is planning to play at the World Cup, football federation chief, Mehdi Taj, said on Thursday despite again lambasting the United States (US), German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
“We boycott the US, but not the World Cup,” state news agency IRNA quoted Taj as saying. “We are preparing for the World Cup.”
The men’s football gala starts on June 11 in the US, Canada and Mexico. Iran, at war with the US and Israel, have already qualified for the tournament but had previously said they would like their matches switched from the US to co-host Mexico.
This time, Taj left open what exactly was meant by a boycott of the US, including whether it would involve refusing to play matches in the country.
World governing body, FIFA, is in contact with the Iranian federation but earlier this week appeared to reject any relocation.
Iran is due to face Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt in the group phase. – BERNAMA-dpa
