US not against Iran in World Cup, but IRGC ties not welcome
US not against Iran in World Cup, but IRGC ties not welcome
#sport #fifa #worldcup #usa #iran
Read more ► [https://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/usiran-war-live-updates/live-coverage/13bc356ac798ea942718124347cfcdcb/ ]
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has downplayed one of yesterday’s funnier stories, the one about Donald Trump’s diplomatic envoy suggesting Iran get chucked out of the looming football World Cup and replaced by his own country of birth.
In this instance, Mr Zampolli suggested to Mr Trump and FIFA boss Gianni Infantino that Iran be excluded from the World Cup when it starts in June, even though it qualified, and that its spot be taken by Italy, which failed to qualify. Mr Zampolli was born in Milan.
Obviously there are logistical challenges here. The World Cup is being jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, and Iran is currently at war with one of those hosts.
Mr Zampolli’s argument was that Italy’s history – it has won the tournament four times – was enough to justify allowing it to compete in Iran’s place. But Italy’s recent history is a bit spottier; it has missed qualification three times in a row now.
That’s all context for a fresh remark from Mr Rubio, who denied there had been any formal request from the US government to stop Iran from competing.
“The problem with Iran, it would be not their athletes. It would be some of the other people that we want to bring with them,” Mr Rubio said.
“Nothing from the US has told them they can’t come. What they can’t bring is a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend that they’re journalists and athletic trainers.”
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