The club believes that Ukraine should take the place of the Iranians.
General Director of Shakhtar Donetsk Serhii Palkin called for the removal of the Iranian national team from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“While the Iranian leadership will have fun watching their national team play at the World Cup, Ukrainians will be killed by Iranian drones and Iranian missiles. Almost 250 such drones have already attacked peaceful Ukrainian cities. Each of them was produced, supplied by the Iranian authorities, Iranian instructors and military directly trained and managed the launching of drones that destroyed houses, museums, universities, offices, sports and playgrounds, and most importantly – killed Ukrainians. Including children. Children who also dreamed of watching their national team at the World Cup.
“Shakhtar” football club calls on FIFA and the entire international community to achieve an immediate ban on the performance of the Iranian national team at the World Cup for the country's direct participation in terrorist attacks on Ukrainians. This will be a just decision that should draw the attention of the whole world to the regime that kills both its best people and helps kill Ukrainians. The vacant place should be filled by the national team of Ukraine, which has proven that it is worthy of participation in the World Cup. Having unequal conditions with other national teams during face-to-face matches, she played with her heart.
Such a decision is historically and athletically justified. I call on 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 an empty thesis about the apolitical nature of sports. Facilitating the participation of terrorists in the World Cup is politics. It's time to put an end to such politics,” Shakhtar's Facebook page quotes Palkin.
Iran's national team qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and, as a result of the draw, was placed in the same group as England, Wales and the USA.
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Earlier it was reported that Iranian football players and sports officials also called for the removal of their national team from the World Cup.
