Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said holding a friendly match between the Canadian men’s national soccer team and the Iranian team on June 5 at the BC Place stadium in Vancouver “is not a very good idea”.
This is a Soccer Canada optionsaid Justin Trudeau Tuesday in St. Louis. John’s, Newfoundland, when asked about the organization of the game. I think it’s not a good idea to invite the Iranian soccer team here in Canada. But that’s something the organizers have to explain.
The issue of hosting the Iranian national team was raised by a reporter, who mentioned the families who lost loved ones on the Ukraine International Airlines flight PS-752 and called the game a slap in the face.
Flight PS-752 was shot down on January 8, 2020, minutes after flying from Tehran to land in kyiv, by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. Among the 176 who died were 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents.
Canada considers Iran’s actions and dismissal in the case to violate international law, while an Ontario court has called the plane crash an act of deliberate terrorism.
Canada Soccer, the governing body for soccer in Canada, did not respond to a request for comment.
The federal government has declared Canada a priority is to seek answers and pursue justice by holding Iran accountable and demanding reparation, while continuing to give the families and loved ones of the victims the support they need.
The national soccer team, which qualified in March for the second time in its history in the final round of the FIFA World Cup, is set to face Iran on June 5 in a friendly match at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, before meeting Curaçao in the League of the CONCACAF Countries.
John Herdman’s players will end their official travel calendar in Honduras on June 13, before beginning their preparations for the World Cup, where they will face Belgium, Croatia and Morocco in Group F.
With information from The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
