President Donald Trump said the US “would not want to affect the [Iranian] athletes” looking to participate in the upcoming FIFA World Cup this summer.
Iran is set to play New Zealand, Egypt and Belgium, with two matches being hosted in Los Angeles and the other in Seattle. However, on Wednesday, reports emerged that US special envoy Paolo Zampolli, an envoy to Trump, was attempting to replace Iran with Italy, which had failed to qualify.
When asked to clarify, Zampolli told CNN he suggested the idea to Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, adding that it was his understanding that Iran was not planning to participate. While the war is causing obvious complications, Iran has indicated it wants to be involved in the tournament and is working on ways to do so safely.
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