TEHRAN, Iran - Iran has banned its sports teams from travelling to countries it considers "hostile," Iranian state TV reported Thursday (March 26) ahead of Tractor FC's scheduled football game in Saudi Arabia.
The ban announced by Iran's Ministry of Sports in Tehran didn't mention the World Cup which starts June 11 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The ministry's statement singled out the Tractor game against Shabab Al Ahli of Dubai that was set to be played in Saudi Arabia. It's a playoff game in the Asian Champions League Elite.
"The presence of national and club teams in countries that are considered hostile and are unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice," it said.
The Iran war has impacted the region, with nearly every country in the Middle East sustaining damage from missile hits, drone strikes or shrapnel.
Tractor's playoff game in Saudi Arabia was the result of the Asian Football Confederation's draw Wednesday to determine the quarterfinal pairings, a day after announcing that the western zone playoffs that were postponed because of the war in the Middle East have been rescheduled for April 13-14 in Jeddah.
The Saudi city is also slated to host the tournament quarterfinals, semifinals and final from April 16-25, with organisers setting the dates and hoping for peace in the region.
The Iranian ministry added that the football federation and clubs "will be responsible for notifying the Asian Football Confederation of this matter in order to relocate the games."
The Iranian ambassador in Mexico City has said the country was negotiating with Fifa to move Iran's three group-stage matches from the United States to Mexico after US President Donald Trump discouraged the team from attending the 48-nation tournament, citing safety concerns.
Last week, however, Fifa President Gianni Infantino further dampened Iran's attempts to move its World Cup matches, saying global football's governing body wants the tournament "to go ahead as scheduled."
Iranian government and football officials have said they do not want to boycott the World Cup but that it is not possible for the national team to come to the US because of military attacks on the country by Israel and US since Feb 28.
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