Iran to seek $10mn in damages after Canada cancels football friendly

An official of Iran’s sports ministry says the country’s football federation will seek $10 million in damages from the Canadian soccer body for canceling a friendly match between Iran and Canada.

Sina Kalhor, Iran's Deputy Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, in a tweet late Thursday said the the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) will seek damages from the Canada Soccer for flouting the contract.

“The unilateral cancelation of the Iran-Canada match by Canada Soccer once again showed that the motto of non-political athletics is a cover towards [realization of] Western countries’ interests,” he tweeted, adding that the compensation will be sought through legal channels.

لغو یک جانبه بازی ایران و کانادا از سوی فدراسیون فوتبال کانادا یکبار دیگر نشان داد که شعار سیاسی نبودن ورزش پوششی است برای منافع کشورهای غربی. فدراسیون فوتبال ایران طبق قرارداد درخواست غرامت ۱۰ میلیون دلاری لغو یک طرفه بازی را از طریق مجاری قانونی پیگیری خواهد کرد.

— سینا کلهر (@Sinakallhor) May 26, 2022

The Iranian official’s remarks came after Canada Soccer announced that it had canceled the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 friendly match that was planned to be held in Vancouver on June 5.

Canada Soccer said additional details would be provided to all ticket purchasers later.

Canada Soccer has cancelled the international match that was scheduled for 5 June 2022 against Iran as part of the Men’s National Team preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. Additional details will be provided to all ticket purchasers. pic.twitter.com/7GhKT5toa7

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) May 26, 2022

“Over the past week, the untenable geopolitical situation of hosting Iran became significantly divisive, and in response, the match was cancelled,” the Canadian football’s governing body said in a statement on Thursday.

“While we considered the external factors in selecting the optimal opponent in our original decision-making process, we will strive to do better moving forward.”

Iran urges Canada not to use soccer friendly match as 'political plaything’

The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has urged Canada not to use the World Cup friendly match against the national Iranian men

More than 40,000 tickets had been sold for the match at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver.

The Iranian team was slated to arrive in Canada next Wednesday as part of preparations for the FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022.

Iran, which ranks 21st in the world, has qualified for the marquee sports event.

It has been pitted against the US and England and one of Ukraine, Scotland, or Wales in Group B in the preliminary round of the tournament.

Canada is in Group F along with Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco.

Canada Soccer president Nick Bontis said Iran was chosen as an opponent because the team has a “similar style” to Morocco – a team that Canadians will face at the World Cup.

“The issue of the geopolitical situation was considered, of course,” he said in an interview, on why the friendly encounter was canceled.

Iran beats Lebanon 2-0 to finish WC Asian qualifiers at top

Iran have finished their 2022 World Cup Qualifying Campaign on a high note after posting a comfortable 2-0 victory over Lebanon in Mashhad.

On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh accused Canada of politicizing the match and warned that Canada Soccer would be held responsible for any violations of its agreement with Iran’s football federation if the match was canceled. 

"Unfortunately, contrary to the theatrical claims, the most sporting issues seem to have become a plaything of partisan orientations and political partitioning within Canada,” Khatibzadeh said.

“The negative stances and statements of the Prime Minister of Canada and some others indicate the predominance of a purely political and partisan view in all aspects of governance in Canada, and therefore the behavior of the Canadian authorities in public easily becomes a plaything of opposition and Iranophobic groups.”

Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the friendly game against Iran “wasn't a very good idea,” criticizing his country’s football boy for plans to host the match. 

"I've expressed my concern that I think this game was a bad idea. I can assure you that Sport Canada has not delivered any funding for this game,'' he was quoted as saying.

"And in terms of the ability of those players to come to Canada and the teams to come to Canada, the border services agencies make professional and independent decisions on eligibility for people to come to Canada.''

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