Iran has escalated its efforts to isolate Israel on the international sports stage, with the chairman of the Iranian Soccer Association, Mehdi Taj, calling on FIFA to expel Israel from world soccer, Ynet reported on Tuesday.
In a letter sent to FIFA, Taj accused Israel of targeting Iranian sports institutions and personnel during Operation Rising Lion. He claimed that Israeli strikes hit the Iranian Soccer Association’s headquarters and the national team’s training camp, and that a referee “became a martyr” in the attacks. Taj further alleged that 30 Iranian soccer players were injured.
Taj also accused Israel of “systematically violating every possible law, murdering our commanders, children and athletes in their sleep by bombing residential neighborhoods and areas populated by civilians.”
The Iranian official did not provide evidence to support the claims.
Taj also criticized the United States, which is set to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, suggesting that Iranian participation could be at risk.
“When one considers the hostile approach the US. displays toward Iran, it’s hard to be optimistic about how they’ll conduct themselves during the 2026 World Cup,” he wrote. “They’re unpredictable, and it’s entirely possible they won’t allow our team members to enter the country.”
The remarks come amid a broader campaign by Iranian officials to pressure international sports bodies into taking punitive action against Israel, noted Ynet. Last month, Iran’s Minister of Sports, Ahmad Donyamali, appealed to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over what he described as “the Zionist entity’s crimes and the murders of Iranian athletes.”
“I am saddened and concerned by the blatant military crimes committed by the Zionist entity against Iran,” Donyamali stated. “These vile acts are a violation of human rights and, unfortunately, have led to the deaths of innocent people, including several athletes and civilians in our country.”
Iran, which does not recognize Israel, has a longstanding policy of boycotting events featuring Israelis.
In 2012, Iranian athletes announced their intention to boycott competitions against Israelis at the London Olympics.
In 2017, two Iranian players were criticized in their home country after they appeared for their Greek club Panionios in a Europa League qualifier against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The two were initially banned for life from the Iranian national team as a punishment, but Iran appeared to cancel the ban after a huge outcry from soccer fans on social media and the launch of an investigation by FIFA, which has rules against political interference in national teams.
In 2019, Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei was forced to throw a match against Israelis, even after the International Judo Federation (IJF) and Iran reached an agreement which stipulates that Iran will no longer boycott competitions against Israelis.
Following the incident, the IJF imposed a four-year ban from international events on Iran.
In 2023, Iranian authorities gave a lifetime ban to Mostafa Rajaei, a weightlifter, after he shook hands with an Israeli competitor at an event in Poland, state media reported at the time.