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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50 passengers from Karnataka stranded in conflict region arrived in New Delhi: CM office
Bengaluru (PTI): Fifty passengers from the state who were stranded in the Gulf region amid the ongoing West Asia conflict arrived in New Delhi early Friday morning after departing from Fujairah in the UAE, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's office said.
The protocol team (Karnataka govt) were at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi with breakfast, it said.
They were transported on a KSRP (Karnataka State Reserve Police) bus and two cars to domestic terminals for their onward travel to Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Hubballi, the CM office said in a statement.
Many were disgruntled and complained to the team that MEA did nothing, and it was only a local organisation that helped them with their tickets, etc., the statement claimed.
"Incidentally, we are the only state so far that is providing this assistance at the Delhi airport," it added.
