The head of Iran’s Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, hinted Tuesday that the men’s national team may withdraw from this summer’s World Cup in North America following the defection of several women players in Australia.
The crisis unfolded at the Women’s Asian Cup, where captain Zahra Ghanbari and at least four teammates claimed asylum.
The move follows immense pressure on the squad, who were branded “traitors” by state media for initially refusing to sing the national anthem.
Five Iranian players fled their hotel at night to seek sanctuary from Australian officials; more are expected to follow.
Mehdi Taj claimed the players were “taken hostage” and “kidnapped” by Australian police, blaming U.S. President Donald Trump for inciting the defections via social media.
The threats come amid ongoing military strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel.
“If the World Cup is like this, who in their right mind would send their national team to a place like this?” Taj asked on state television.
Iran is currently scheduled to play all three of its group matches in the United States (Los Angeles and Seattle).
A formal withdrawal would leave FIFA scrambling to find a replacement team just 100 days before kickoff.
