The Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk have called on Fifa to ban Iran from the upcoming World Cup in Qatar following accusations that the country had supplied “Kamikaze” drones to Russia.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that Iranian drones had been used in recent Russian missile strikes while British foreign minister James Cleverly was set to announce further sanctions on Iran in response to the attacks.
Shakhtar Donetsk’s CEO Sergei Palkin has said that Iran’s national team should be banned by Fifa ahead of the start of the World Cup next month and replaced by Ukraine, who were defeated by Wales in a play-off in June. Iran play England in their opening match on 21 November.
Fifa banned Russia and Belarus from international competition in February following the invasion of Ukraine and Palkin believes Iran should face the same punishment following the country’s “direct participation in terrorist attacks on Urkrainians”.
“This will be a fair decision that should draw the attention of the whole world to a regime that kills its best people and helps kill Ukrainians,” Palkin continued in a statement on Monday.
“The vacant place should be taken by the national team of Ukraine, which proved that it is worthy of participation in the mundial. With unequal conditions with other national teams during the play-offs, they played with their heart.
“This decision is historically and sportingly justified. I urge everyone to join the pressure on the football bureaucracy. It is enough to repeat the mistakes of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, hiding behind the empty thesis about the apolitically of sports.
“Facilitating the participation of terrorists in the World Cup is politics. It’s time to put an end to such a policy.”
Iran has also faced pressure following widespread protests in the country. The UK placed sanctions on Iran earlier this month after leading political figures and security officials were said to be “committing serious human rights violations” after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
