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Gianni Infantino's comments come at a time when the US-Israeli war with Iran has jeopardized the Iranian team's chances of competing...
FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday reaffirmed his commitment to facilitating Iran's participation in the World Cup in the US later this year, despite the ongoing war between the two nations.
His comments come after the US and Iran failed to reach a deal to end the six-week war, as President Donald Trump tries to prevent the country from being able to develop a nuclear weapon.
The Iranian team is scheduled to arrive in the US in June ahead of the tournament. The team is scheduled to play matches against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles before traveling to Seattle to face Egypt.
"The Iranian team will come for sure," Infantino told CNBC, adding, "we hope that by then, of course, the situation will be peaceful. As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come."
Whether or not Iran will travel to the US for the tournament remains an open question. Trump said it would not be "appropriate" for the Iranian team to participate in the World Cup "for their lives and safety." The comment came days after Infantino spoke to Trump and urged him to allow the Iranian team to compete.
In response, Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali told state television that "under no circumstances can we participate in the World Cup."
Donyamali had asked FIFA to move their matches to Mexico, but the organization rejected this request last week.
Infantino said he traveled to Antalya, Turkey, to visit the Iranian team ahead of a friendly against Costa Rica, part of FIFA's efforts to curb the impact of war on this summer's tournament. Infantino said the mediation diplomacy between Iran and Trump stemmed from his belief that sports can bring people together.
“The Iranians are actually a pretty good team too, and they really want to play, and they should play,” he said, adding “sports should be out of politics.”
"Now, okay, we don't live on the moon. We live on planet Earth. If there's no one else who believes in building bridges and keeping them... intact and well put together, we're doing that job," he emphasized.
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