Iran eyes opportunity to change Asia's Football Confederation decision

By Trend

Asia's Football Confederation (AFC) decision to ban hosting games in Iran should be based on technical issues, not on the political reasons, said Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman.

"The pretext for the decision is related to politics. However, despite some events, Iran is far more safe than other countries that claim to have safety which is sought by the federation," said Abbas Mousavi, Trend reports from his press conference.

"The government and Foreign Ministry will respect the clubs' decision and support them, but we hope sports and politics will not be mixed," the spokesman added. "We will offer help to use the remaining opportunity to do something about it."

The spokesman noted the military presence of South Korea in the Gulf of Aden.

"The South Korean government should have announced their intention of dispatching their fleet in Aden region. We have announced that the action is unacceptable, as friendly relations between Iran and South Korea do not require this approach," Mousavi said.

"There are many links between Iran and the South Korea, so we have started a diplomatic action and will make the necessary decision," the official said.