Iran bans sports teams from travelling to ‘hostile’ countries amid war

Sports Ministry says ban for ‘security’ of athletes before a game between Iranian and Emirati clubs in Saudi Arabia.Iran has banned its sports teams from travelling to countries it considers “hostile”, Iranian state TV reported, before club side Tractor SC’s scheduled football match in Saudi Arabia.The ban on Thursday comes nearly a month after United States-Israeli attacks on Iran led to war on February 28.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Is Salah at the end of road or can Egypt glory be a spur at 2026 World Cup?list 2 of 4Asian Champions League quarterfinal sends Iran’s Tractor FC to Saudi Arabialist 3 of 4New Zealand footballers willing to play Iran World Cup match outside USlist 4 of 4Palestinian FA calls for Israeli ban after FIFA discrimination reportend of listA statement by Iran’s Ministry of Sports announcing the ban singled out the Tractor playoff game in the Asian Champions League against Shabab Al Ahli of Dubai that was set to be played in Saudi Arabia next month.“The presence of national and club teams in countries that are considered hostile and are unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice,” it said.The ministry added that the football federation and clubs “will be responsible for notifying the Asian Football Confederation of this matter in order to relocate the games”.The statement did not provide a list of countries deemed hostile.Tractor’s playoff game in Saudi Arabia was the result of the Asian Football Confederation’s draw on Wednesday to determine the quarterfinal pairings, a day after announcing that the western zone playoffs that were postponed because of the war have been rescheduled for April 13-14 in Jeddah.The Saudi city is also slated to host the tournament quarterfinals, semifinals and final from April 16-25, with organisers setting the dates and hoping for peace in the region.Thursday’s statement by the Iranian Sports Ministry did not mention the World Cup – to be held in Canada, Mexico, and the US in June and July – which Iran has qualified for.