Iran says unable to receive FIFA financial support due to sanctions

TEHRAN - The Iranian Football Federation said that it is unable to receive financial assistance from FIFA due to sanctions against the country's banking system, Tehran Times daily reported on Sunday.

According to the report, FIFA will release all operational funding for 2019 and 2020 in the coming days in the first step of a relief plan to assist the soccer community impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This measure will mean that a total of around $150 million will be distributed among the 211 national governing bodies around the world.

However, the Iranian Football Federation has serious problems with regard to receiving financial assistance from FIFA, as broad US restrictions on Iran's banking system are still in force.

Ali Soleimani, the Treasurer of the Iranian Football Federation, said the sanctions against Iran are in place, and "FIFA has not yet found a safe solution to pay the revenues of Iranian football... Many efforts have been made in this regard, but we have not reached a suitable solution."