AT-KABUL: Afghanistan National Football Team Coach, Mohammad Yousuf Kargar, said that because of security threats, FIFA didn’t allow Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) to host the opening matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the country.
Kargar said, according to FIFA’s schedule, it was Afghanistan’s turn to host the inaugural 2018 FIFA World Cup matches, but due to insecurity and substandard playgrounds the matches will not be held in the country.
He added that FIFA chose Iran and Dubai to hold the inaugural and first phase matches of 2018 FIFA World Cup. He said that he would like to see Afghan football squad playing on Iranian soil as Afghan footballers will play with morale there because they will Afghan spectators at the ground as over a million Afghans already live there.
Iran Football Federation Chief, Ali Kafshian, has pledged that Iran will host Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.