World Cup 2022: Ukraine calls Iran to remove from tournament
The Ukrainian Soccer Federation urged the FIFA to ban Iran from participating in this upcoming FIFA World Cup. Follow for more World Cup 2022 news here!
Ukraine made a call three weeks prior to the game between Iran and England in a first Group B match where Whales and the United States were also included in the group. The Ukraine’s football governing body did not cite the Ukraine team as the possible replacement for Iran at the tournament. For soccer on TV updates and news, click here!
Despite of that call to action done by Ukraine, amidst the ongoing war and bombing of Russia to Ukraine, FIFA has not yet released an answer on the Ukrainian requests. Recently, the international intelligence assessments reported that Ukraine has been bombed by Russian forces using Iranian-built “Shahed” drones. Russia and Iran both denied the report.
FIFA has also ignored the huge number of calls and protests from Iranian fan groups to suspend the national team from participating in the World Cup amid the chaos in the country in recent months due to a national crackdown on street protests in support of women’s rights. The football organization also cited risks to the security and integrity of the competition to ban Russia from participating in international competitions as they did not invoke human rights, which is quite contrary to the organization’s pledge of “respecting all internationally recognized human rights.”
Despite the lack of actions from FIFA governing body, some Iranian soccer players, especially national team players that will be expected to fill the national roster for the World Cup, have expressed their support for the protests via social media and wearing black wristbands as a gesture at games.
FIFA has this history of resisting the call to action in relation to human rights abuse and the living evidence is giving the hosting rights to Qatar – a Middle Eastern nation with histories of human rights abuse such as making LGBTQ relationships illegal, and the maltreatment towards migrant workers. There were various reports of criminalizing LGBTQ partners and the horrendous 6500 death toll of migrant workers within the span of more than a decade of preparation for the World Cup 2022.
There are also various reports that Qatar had a tightly controlled image or likely a tightly controlled media where international television will be banned from filming without pre-approval from Qatar authorities. This shows that Qatar really controlled the behind-the-scenes of preparations for World Cup 2022. From making LGBT couples intimacy illegal during the tournament, reports of hotels not accommodating LGBT couples, maltreatment of migrant workers, and up to controlling media’s power and coverage of the prestigious tournament.
Many national teams showed a resistance by assuring the people who will be attending the World Cup that they will have their own call-to-action and protests like England where they will wear a rainbow armband, especially the team captain Harry Kane.
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