🔻Mehdi Taj, head of the Iranian Football Federation, confirmed “indirect” pressures to remove the national football team from the Asian Cup and said that FIFA has also raised questions in this regard.

🔹In response to a question about the likelihood of the national team being removed from the Asian Cup, Taj said: “There are pressures in an indirect form, and some incidents inside the country have also been highlighted by them. FIFA has raised questions about this, and we are also preparing logical and documented answers for them.”

🔹Taj also said: “However, we must also be careful inside the country and act in a way toward football that does not conflict with FIFA rules and the commitments we have accepted. These matters also exist in our own charter, and they must be fully observed so that no excuse is provided to others.”

🔹When asked whether Iranian football could face conditions similar to Russia’s, he said: “This issue is also being pursued, and we are following it. They hope to achieve their goals, but I think no success will come of it for them.”