Ukraine’s top soccer team called on Monday for Iran to be banned by FIFA from the World Cup over its military assistance to Russia.
The head of the Shakhtar Donetsk club, Sergei Palkin, charged Iran with "direct participation in terrorist attacks on Ukrainians” and said that Ukraine’s national team should participate in the tournament in Qatar in its place, the Associated Press reported.
"This will be a fair decision that should draw the attention of the whole world to a regime that kills its best people and helps kill Ukrainians," Palkin said in a statement.
The statement from the soccer executive came several days after the White House said that it had evidence that Iranian troops were on the ground in Crimea and were aiding Russia’s drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian centers.
The chief of Ukraine’s intelligence agency, Kyrylo Budanov, announced on Monday that Russia has utilized around 330 Iranian “Shahed” drones so far and more are on order.
Iran is scheduled to play in the second game of the World Cup on November 21 against England. It will then square off against Wales and the United States in Group B.
Wales qualified for the international tournament after beating Ukraine in a June playoff match that had to be delayed due to Russia’s invasion of the country.