Iran to skip World Cup draw in Washington

Iran announced that it will not have representatives at the draw for the FIFA World Cup, which will take place next Friday in Washington, Radio Monte Carlo reports.

The reason is the strained relations with the United States and the fact that the hosts refused visas to most members of the delegation from the Asian country, CE Report quotes BTA.

“We informed FIFA that our decision has nothing to do with sports and that there will be no Iranian delegation at the draw,” a federation spokesperson told state television.

According to Iranian media, the United States also denied a visa to the federation’s president.

It also became known last week that Haiti will play its matches without fans, as the administration of President Donald Trump will not make an exception for people from the country who wish to support their team at the World Cup.

Citizens of Haiti are banned from entering the United States under a decree signed by Donald Trump in June.