Canada Soccer has announced that it has cancelled its men’s friendly against Iran, which was scheduled for June 5.
The announcement, which came just 10 days before the game was scheduled, comes amid an outcry over the federation’s decision to face Iran.
In January 2020, Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down over Tehran by the Iranian military, in an incident that saw 55 Canadian citizens and 30 more permanent residents lose their lives.
An investigation found that the crash was due in part to “systematic violations and failures by the Iranian authorities to meet their human rights obligation.”
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau had joined the chorus who disapproved of the match being held, saying earlier this month: “I think it wasn’t a very good idea to invite the Iranian soccer team here to Canada.”
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
What’s next for Canada?
The cancellation of the friendly has disrupted Canada’s June schedule as the team prepares for its first World Cup since 1986.
John Herdman’s side will now only have two games next month, instead of three, with both matches set to take place in the CONCACAF Nations League. Canada will host Curacao on June 9 before visiting Honduras on June 13.
Herdman named a 25-man squad on Wednesday for the the matches, which included the return of Alphonso Davies after the Bayern Munich star returned from a heart condition that had sidelined him for his country since November.
[lawrence-related id=2262,2254,223a