TEHRAN, Iran (AP) \u2014 Iran has banned its sports teams from traveling to countries it considers \u201chostile,\u201d Iranian state TV reported Thursday ahead of Tractor FC\u2019s scheduled soccer game in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
The ban announced by Iran\u2019s Ministry of Sports in Tehran didn\u2019t mention the World Cup which starts June 11 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.<\/p>\n
The ministry\u2019s statement singled out the Tractor game against Shabab Al Ahli of Dubai that was set to be played in Saudi Arabia. It\u2019s a playoff game in the Asian Champions League Elite<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe presence of national and club teams in countries that are considered hostile and are unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n The Iran war<\/a> has impacted the region, with nearly every country in the Middle East<\/a> sustaining damage from missile hits, drone strikes or shrapnel.<\/p>\n Tractor\u2019s playoff game in Saudi Arabia was the result of the Asian Football Confederation\u2019s draw Wednesday to determine the quarterfinal pairings, a day after announcing that the western zone playoffs<\/a> that were postponed<\/a> because of the war in the Middle East have been rescheduled for April 13-14 in Jeddah.<\/p>\n The Saudi city is also slated to host the tournament quarterfinals, semifinals and final from April 16-25, with organizers setting the dates and hoping for peace in the region.<\/p>\n The Iranian ministry added that the soccer federation and clubs \u201cwill be responsible for notifying the Asian Football Confederation of this matter in order to relocate the games.\u201d<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s stance on the World Cup<\/p>\n The Iranian ambassador in Mexico City has said the country was negotiating with FIFA to move Iran\u2019s three group-stage matches from the United States to Mexico after U.S. President Donald Trump discouraged<\/a> the team from attending the 48-nation tournament<\/a>, citing safety concerns.<\/p>\n Last week, however, FIFA President Gianni Infantino further dampened Iran\u2019s attempts to move its World Cup matches, saying global soccer\u2019s governing body wants the tournament \u201cto go ahead as scheduled.\u201d<\/p>\n Iranian government and soccer officials have said they do not want to boycott the World Cup<\/a> but that it is not possible for the national team to come to the U.S. because of military attacks on the country by Israel and U.S. since Feb. 28.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n