The executive committee of the Ukrainian FA have called for England's World Cup opponents Iran to be banned from competing in the World Cup less than a month before the tournament begins in Qatar.
Sky Sports report a statement released by Ukrainian officials this morning which states that they believe Iran to be illegally providing assistance to Russia in the conflict which has been ongoing since February. They also accuse Iran of breaking Article 3 and 4 of FIFA statues which concern human rights and discrimination.
Iran are set to play England in their opening fixture of the tournament on November 21, with the Group B side led by former Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz ranked as the 20th best side in the world by FIFA's rankings.
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The statement reads: "Taking into account the media information about the systematic manifestations of human rights violations in Iran, which may violate the principles and norms of the FIFA Charter, taking into account the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 regarding the imposition of sanctions on Iran and the alleged involvement of Iran in the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, [we] appeal to FIFA with proposal to consider the issue of excluding the Iranian national team from the 2022 FIFA World Cup."
The calls come in the wake of Ukraine's leading club Shakhtar Donetsk's calls for the Middle Eastern nation to be prohibited from competing in the tournament following alleged claims of their involvement with Russia as part of the ongoing conflict in the country. This is in addition to concerns surrounding discrimination towards women in the country and Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin has called for Ukraine to take their place in the tournament having been knocked out in UEFA's play-offs by Wales in the summer.
Issues surrounding discrimination in the country have led to international attention in the wake of a series of events which led to the death on September 16 of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She died while in the custody of the 'Guidance Patrol' for not wearing her Hijab correctly.
This issue has also been raised by human rights group Open Stadiums, who said that Iran's participation in the tournament would go against FIFA's published values and statutes.
They said in a statement reported by the BBC last month: "Iran's brutality and belligerence towards its own people has reached a tipping point, demanding an unequivocal and firm disassociation from the footballing and sports world.
"Women have been consistently denied access to stadia across the country and systematically excluded from the football ecosystem in Iran, which sharply contrasts with Fifa's values and statutes.
"If women are not allowed into stadia across the country, and the Iranian Football Federation is simply following and enforcing governmental guidelines, they cannot be seen as an independent organisation and free from any form or kind of influence. This is a violation of (Article 19) of Fifa's statutes."
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