UAE cancel Iran friendly over political dispute [VIDEO]
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Loading...PFDC – DUBAI, The UAE football federation canceled the friendly match against Iran, which had been scheduled for April 17 in Dubai, due to political reasons.
The UAE protested against the recent visit of Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the Iranian Persian Gulf islands Greater and Lesser Tunbs, which are Iranian territory since 1971.
However, the UAE claim the islands as well and see the recent visit by Ahmadinejad as provocation. In addition to political steps, Yousuf Yaqoub Al Serkal, chairman of the interim committee of the UAE Football Association, also called off the test match between the two countries.
The cancellation of the friendly game due to political reasons might have consequences for the UAE should Iran take the case to FIFA.
Nigeria was fined for cancelling a friendly match against Iran due to political issues in 2010 and had to pay 300,000$ to the Iranian football federation (IFF).
The sporting value of the upcoming friendly had been in doubt anyways, because the UAE would have been without the players of six of their strongest clubs due to international commitments.
Furthermore, the friendly game, in which Iran also would have fielded a depleted squad, wouldn’t have been broadcasted on TV at all.
Iran meanwhile set a friendly match against Mozambique on May 2 and are in negotiations for further friendly matches ahead and after their World Cup qualifiers against Uzbekistan and Qatar in June.
