IRNA - Iran's Football Federation Friday said
it reserves the right to appeal FIFA's decision banning Iran from all
international activities to the international sports court.
The FIFA Emergency Committee composed of the FIFA president and one
representative each from the six confederations Thursday decided to suspend
the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation (IRIFF) from all
international activities due to government interference in football matters
and violation of Article 17 of the FIFA governing statute.
In a statement issued Friday, IRIFF said it believes negotiation can help
solve problems.
IRIFF added it will make use of all means and measures to remove ambiguities
and defend the rights of Iranian football.
The statement also blamed previous federation officials for providing FIFA
with inaccurate and misleading information without considering their effects
on the Iranian football which led to FIFA's decision.
The Iranian national football coach Amir Qalehnoei told Mehr news agency
Friday that Iran's suspension will have a negative impact on the country's
football.
The suspension means Iran will not be able to participate in next week's
Asian Games in Doha, Qatar (Doha 2006), where it was supposed to defend its
champions title in 2006.
