Iran wants to stop pride match at World Cup

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Iran wants to stop pride match at World Cup
Photo: Elaine Thompson/AP/TT

Next summer, Iran and Egypt will face each other in the World Cup in the United States – and the organizers in Seattle see it as a pride match. The Iranian Football Federation is not happy with this and wants to stop the event, reports the state news agency ISNA. The Egyptian Football Federation is also protesting the initiative.

Mehdi Taj, chairman of the Iranian Football Federation, said according to ISNA that both Iran and Egypt have raised "objections to this" and called it an "irrational move that supports a certain group," without specifically mentioning the promotion of the pride match.

On Monday, Iranian state television reported that the federation will “appeal” to the International Football Association Board (FIFA) on the matter.

In Iran, homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death.

The Egyptian Football Association said in a statement that a letter had been sent to FIFA's Swedish secretary general Mattias Grafström. The country's football association opposes the meeting being seen as a pride match, writing that such initiatives go against "cultural, religious and social values" in both Egypt and Iran.

The match will be played on June 26 and coincides with Seattle Pride. The local organizing committee in Seattle announces on its website that FIFA has nothing to do with the pride match.

When the World Cup was played in Qatar in 2022, where homosexuality is also banned, Denmark, Germany and England, among others, wanted to play with the "One Love" armband - as a tribute to the LGBTQI movement - but FIFA banned it.

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By TT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers

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