Canadian football has canceled a friendly match between the men’s national team and Iran next month, the national governing body said Thursday after widespread opposition to the match.
No reason was given for the cancellation of the match, which was to be played on June 5 in Vancouver and would be the first for Canada in their homeland since March, when they qualified for November 21-December 21. 18th World Cup in Qatar.
The game sparked opposition from politicians and the families of Canadians who died aboard a Ukrainian passenger plane that was shot down near Tehran in January 2020 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said he thought it was a “bad idea” to invite the Iranian team to Canada.
“Over the past week, the unsettled geopolitical situation with the host of Iran has caused significant divisions, and in response the match was canceled,” Canada Soccer said in a statement.
“As we take into account external factors in choosing the optimal opponent in our initial decision-making process, we will strive to move forward better.”
Canada Soccer has also said it will review its process of hosting international matches and is working to find an alternative opponent.
A special Canadian forensic team prepared a report in mid-2021 that accused Iran of incompetence and recklessness in shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane. Iran has criticized the report as “highly politicized”.
The report found that while the crash of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 was unintentional, it did not absolve Iranian officials of responsibility for the incident.
Iran has said it shot down the plane shortly after taking off from Tehran, accusing it of a “catastrophic mistake” by the high-alert forces during a confrontation with the United States.
Add Comment