Iranian coach appeals to FIFA over Nike boycott
Tehran, June 8 : Iran national football team's head coach Carlos Queiroz has called on FIFA to intervene after US sportswear giant Nike said it would not provide shoes to Iranian players in the World Cup in line with American sanctions, media reports said.
"Players get used to their sports equipment, and it's not right to change them a week before such important matches," Press TV quoted Queiroz as saying.
"We call on FIFA to come to our help in this issue," he said.
Iran's first Group B match will be held against Morocco in St. Petersburg on June 15 and Iranian players will have to wear another brand while 60 per cent of all players in the 32-team World Cup will be wearing Nike's shoes.
Nike said its decision was in line with US President Donald Trump's announcement in May to withdraw from Iran's nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions on the Islamic republic, Xinhua news agency reported.
The sanctions are to kick in six months after the announcement, but a number of European companies have jumped the gun and already started winding down business in Iran.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
