Former FIFA Head Blatter Says Iran Should Be Barred From World Cup | Football/Soccer

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter thinks Iran ought to be barred from the World Cup amid widespread protests within the Islamic Republic sparked by the demise of a lady within the custody of morality police, a Swiss paper quoted him on Friday as saying.

"Iran should be excluded from the World Cup," the Blick tabloid reported, saying Blatter at a chat at its writer's headquarters had demanded harsh penalties and that he would have eliminated Iran from competitors had he nonetheless been in cost.

The protests in Iran pose one of many boldest challenges to Iran's clerical rulers because the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran has accused overseas enemies of fomenting unrest raging because the demise of Iranian Kurdish girl Mahsa Amini in September after her arrest for allegedly flouting Iran's strict costume code imposed on ladies.

The Blick paper cited Blatter as saying it was incomprehensible that FIFA head Gianni Infantino had not taken a transparent place on Iran.

Blatter, 86, had made waves this week by saying it had been a mistake to award Qatar the internet hosting rights to the World Cup, which begins on Nov. 20.