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.
