Iran has trouble arranging pre-World Cup friendlies

Teheran - Iran has been rebuffed in its attempts to arrange football friendlies ahead of the World Cup finals next June, national team coach Branco Ivankovic said Saturday.

Ivankovic, currently in Germany inspecting the stadium where Iran will play its three games, told the news agency ISNA that he approached several other national coaches following Friday's draw in Leipzig but was turned down each time.

The Croatian gave no reason for the rejections but last month Romania cancelled a friendly against Iran, reportedly in protest at anti-Israeli remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Last October, Ahmadinejad caused an outcry when he called for the for eradication of Israel. On Thursday he questioned the extent of the Holocaust and called for the relocation of Israel to Europe.

The head of the Iranian football federation, Mohammad Dadkan, has several times complained that friendly games with Iran had been cancelled 'for reasons not related to football'.

In Friday's draw, Iran was drawn into Group D with Angola, Mexico and Portugal.