Managing directors of 4 Iranian football clubs to hold talks with AFC in Malaysia

According To Iran News, Managing directors of four Iranian football clubs present in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League will travel to Malaysia on Tuesday night to conduct negotiations with senior officials of the AFC.

The suggestion for the trip was primarily made by Persepolis chief executive Mohammad Hassan Ansarifard two days ago and according to the reports, the suggestion was welcomed by Iranian Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Masoud Soltanifar.

The managing directors of the four Iranian participating clubs in AFC Champions League are to discuss the ban on Iranian teams from hosting their Asian rivals in Iran with senior AFC officials.

The Iranian teams reportedly plan to lodge a complaint with Court of Arbitration for Sport against the AFC over its decision to ban Iranian teams from hosting their Asian rivals in Iran.

Mahdi Alinejadi, deputy sports minister, said that the Iranian clubs will prepare a complaint and follow it up through the channel of Iranian Football Federation in the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the AFC.

He said that officials will try to obtain a temporary order to remove the ban, adding that international talks and lobbies are simultaneously underway to solve the problem.

AFC’s Competitions Committee has announced that Iranian teams in the 2020 ACL should host their rivals in a neutral venue, citing security concerns as a reason behind the decision. The measure sparked harsh criticism from fans and officials in Iran who believe it to be mainly political.

Following strong protests, the AFC took a step back and announced that the ACL Preliminary Stage matches would be held in neutral venues and the body will later reconsider the hosting capabilities of Iran in the group stage. Esteghlal and Shahr Khodro should play rivals in the Preliminary State while Sepahan and Persepolis have already secured places in the group stage.

In a letter to AFC published on Monday, the clubs announced that they will only participate in the tournament if the Asian Football Confederation officially declares that they can host their rivals in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran.