A sharp criticism of the Atamed newspaper on the football association; "You played with the honor of Iran during your trip to Iraq! ".
The trip of the Iranian soccer team to Basra, after the cancellation of the direct flight and ground transfer of the players, received a wave of criticism.
According to the Atmed newspaper, the Iraqi officials first invited the national team to hold friendly matches, but then did not allow a direct flight to Basra. An action that critics see as disrespectful to Iranian football.
Amir Jalnoi, the coach of the national team, also announced that if he had known that the cancellation of the flight had political reasons, he would never have gone to Basra. Because "the honor of Iran and the Iranian people is more important than anything."
The Atmad newspaper criticized Mehdi Taj and the federation's directors and asked: Why was the order issued to travel by land despite the knowledge of the restrictions?
This newspaper stressed: the federation officials should give an account of their decision and the reason for canceling the trip.