MNA - President of Iran Football League Organization said Iran would probably pull out of the 2016 AFC Champions League in case AFC insists on its decision.

Mehdi Taj referred to Iran’s hosting of Saudi teams at the Asian league asserting “according to the statement of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the matches of Iranian and Saudi teams have been postponed to the last week of the group stage; if the ongoing issues get resolved, Iran will host the matches; otherwise, they will take place in a third-party country.”

“We reject AFC’s statement for being a political decision,” noted the official emphasizing that Iran might withdraw from the competitions in case AFC keeps persisting on the current resolution.

Noting Iranian Football Federation's determination in following the issue, Taj said “we hold same stances; we are committed to ensuring the safety and security of all the national teams and clubs participating in various international competitions and the attack on Saudi embassy was not approved of by the government,” he added urging that matches should be held in Iran rather than a third country.

“It would be a dangerous decision for AFC to hold matches in other countries since it exerts deleterious effects on football,” highlighted the official maintaining that AFC hopefully seeks cooperation.