Canada Soccer cancels controversial Iran match in Vancouver
Canada and Iran will no longer be facing off in Vancouver next month.
Canada Soccer has announced Thursday that their June 5 friendly against Iran scheduled for BC Place in Vancouver has been called off.
No official reason was offered for the cancellation for the match originally announced two weeks ago, on May 12.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among those critical of the match’s initial scheduling, when asked about how the Iranian team were granted visas given the political history between the two countries.
A total of 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents were among the 176 people killed when a commercial airplane was shot down by an Iranian missile minutes after it took off from Tehran on January 8, 2020.
Victims of the families had previously published a statement to appeal against the match going forward.
🚨 #NoToSportswashing
📣 Join Flight #PS752 victims’ families’ appeal to stop @CanadaSoccerEN from hosting a “friendly match” with the Iranian regime’s soccer team.#CancelTheGame✉️From Canada or anywhere in the world send a letter to Canadian officials:https://t.co/BEPnr8VCYw pic.twitter.com/mbCxh2gRnE
— Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims (@ps752justice) May 19, 2022
“This was a choice by [Canada Soccer],” Trudeau told reporters in a press conference earlier this month. “I think it wasn’t a very good idea to invite the Iranian soccer team here to Canada, but that’s something that the organizers are going to have to explain.”
Canada Soccer’s full statement is below:
Canada Soccer has cancelled the international match that was scheduled for 5 June 2022 against Iran as part of the Men’s National Team preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. Additional details will be provided to all ticket purchasers.
At this point in time, it is unclear if a replacement opponent will be scheduled. Canada is still set to play against Curacao at BC Place on Thursday, June 9 in a CONCACAF Nations League match.
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