Translated with AI
US President Donald Trump has proposed that the International Football Federation consider replacing Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, a source told The Kobeissi Letter.
According to the source, Trump administration officials justified the initiative by citing Italy's four-time world champion status, which they believed would justify its participation in the tournament.
It is also reported that such an initiative is seen as an attempt to strengthen relations between Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni.
The statement sparked widespread controversy. However, it was noted that, under current international football regulations, such a proposal appears impossible.
World Cup qualification is conducted according to strict FIFA rules and is based solely on sporting results. Iran qualified by finishing first in their Asian qualifying group. Meanwhile, Italy failed to qualify, finishing second in their group and losing in the playoffs.
The current rules do not provide for the possibility of replacing a qualifying team for political reasons. There are also no mechanisms for excluding a team without serious grounds related to violations of the regulations.
FIFA can suspend national associations, but only for violations. Over the years, sanctions have been imposed in cases of state interference in football structures or other violations. Examples include the suspension of Russia, as well as sanctions against Guatemala, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.
However, no such violations have been recorded with regard to Iran, which excludes formal grounds for its removal.
Historical practice also does not support such decisions. Even during the Cold War, individual countries boycotted tournaments on their own, but were not excluded at the request of other states.
FIFA emphasizes that the organization must remain apolitical and not make decisions under pressure from individual countries or politicians.
The organization is expected to confirm that the current qualification rules will remain unchanged. Therefore, the Iranian team, having qualified, is highly likely to participate in the World Cup, while Italy, which failed to qualify, will remain outside the tournament.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino previously stated that the Iranian national team should participate in the World Cup regardless of the situation in the Middle East, emphasizing the team's readiness to compete in the tournament.
