Moscow: Iran coach Carlos Queiroz has called on Nike to apologise to his team after the US sportswear firm said it could not supply the players with football boots for the World Cup due to sanctions.
“US sanctions mean that, as a US company, Nike cannot supply shoes to players in the Iranian national team at this time,” Nike had said in a statement.
Queiroz, whose side face Morocco in their Group B opener on Friday, said it was an unnecessary statement and asked Fifa to help.
“It has been a source of inspiration for us,” Queiroz told Sky Sports. “This last comment of Nike was, in my personal view, an unnecessary statement. Everybody is aware about the sanctions.
“They should come out and apologise because this arrogant conduct against 23 boys is absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary.”
The Iran team on Wednesday prepared for their opening Fifa World Cup game without star defensive midfielder Saeed Ezatolahi, who is serving a two-game ban.
The 21-year-old, who featured for Spanish giants Atletico Madrid at youth level, is the only player at the World Cup expected to miss their team’s opening game due to suspension.
Fifa’s disciplinary committee had imposed a two-game suspension on Ezatolahi in October 2017 for violent conduct during a qualifying match on August 31 against South Korea in Seoul.
After a clash of heads in the 52nd minute, Ezatolahi was deemed by the referee to have deliberately stamped on South Korea’s Kim Min-jae.
The Iranian defensive midfielder was given a straight red card for the offence.
Ezatolahi has already missed one game since the suspension, a qualifying match against Syria on September 5, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
Coached by Carlos Queiroz, Iran were the first team from the Asian Football Confederation to book their place at World Cup 2018 in Russia.
Nicknamed the ‘Persian Pogba,’ Ezatolahi plays for FC Rostov in the German top division and is considered one of the most talented footballers in Asia.
