Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said that Iran should be barred from the World Cup amid widespread protests in the country.
The protests were sparked by the death of a woman in the custody of morality police.
“Iran should be excluded from the World Cup,” Blatter said on Friday.
The Swiss demanded that harsh consequences should fall on Iran and he would have removed the country’s team from competition had he still been in charge.
The protests in Iran pose one of the boldest challenges to Iran’s clerical rulers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran has accused foreign enemies of fomenting the unrest which has been raging since the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September.
She had died after her arrest, for allegedly flouting Iran’s strict dress code imposed on women.
“It is incomprehensible that FIFA President Gianni Infantino has not taken a clear position on Iran,” the 86-year-old Blatter said.
The former FIFA President had earlier this week made waves by saying it had been a mistake to award Qatar the hosting rights to the World Cup.
The Qatar World Cup begins on Nov. 20 and is scheduled to end on Dec. 18.
