Iran's teams announced Saturday their withdrawal from the 2020 AFC Champions League in a strong stand against the recent decisions taken by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The AFC decided to ban the Iranian teams from hosting their rivals in Iran.
The AFC has sent a letter to the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) informing them their matches would be move to a neutral instead of holding them in Iran due to security reasons.
During a meeting, heads of Persepolis, Shahr Khodro, Esteghlal, and Sepahan clubs have agreed on withdrawing from the upcoming AFC Champions League in an objection to the AFC's recent decision.
"In a meeting held on Saturday in the presence of the Iranian Sports Ministry and the presidents of the four football clubs – Persepolis, Sepahan, Shahr Khodro and Esteghlal in Iran Football Federation’s headquarters, the decision was made by them to withdraw from the competition if the confederation wants them to play in neutral venue," Tasnimnews reported.
The tension between Tehran and Washington has been soaring after the United States carried out strikes on Friday, January 3 on military vehicles inside Baghdad International Airport, in which Soleimani was killed.
Five days later, the Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran took revenge on the US after launching a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases, housing American troops.
Noteworthy, Saudi’s Al Hilal claimed the 2019 AFC Champions League title after after thrashing Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds with three unanswered goals on aggregate to claim the trophy for the third time in their history.
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