Canada Soccer, which has been riding a wave of goodwill since John Herdman’s team qualified in style for the World Cup, now finds itself engulfed in controversy over a scheduled friendly match with Iran next month in Vancouver.
At issue is whether Canada should be hosting Iran given the Canadians who died on Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 when it was shot down on Jan. 8, 2020, minutes after taking off from Tehran, by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. The Canadian government says 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents were among the 176 people killed.
Hamed Esmaeilion, spokesperson for the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, says his group has been against the match since it was first rumoured. But the issue took centre stage Tuesday when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about it by a reporter, who said families who had lost loved ones considered the game a “slap in the face.’’
“This was a choice by Soccer Canada,’’ Trudeau said in St. John’s. “I think it wasn’t a very good idea to invite the Iranian soccer team here to Canada. But that’s something that the organizers are going to have to explain.’’
Canada Soccer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“They call that a friendly game,’’ said Esmaeilion, whose wife and young daughter were among those who died on Flight 752. “What kind of friendship do we have with the Islamic Republic of Iran?
“We want the (Canadian) government to take them to international court. And instead of that, we get humiliated by them ? I feel like I’ve been stabbed in the back _ (as well as) the other family members. After 28 months we don’t see any sign of seeking justice here. We don’t see sign of taking Iran to any international forum. And instead of that they invite the (Iran) soccer team here.’’
Esmaeilion, who noted the federal government is in charge of issuing visas, called it “sportswashing.’’
Canada Soccer and the federal government had not responded to families who had complained about the game, he said
“This is a way to normalize relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran ? And this is not the first time it has been used by dictators. Russia has used this in the past and Iran is following,’’ he said from Richmond Hill, Ont.
He also said the Iranian team will be accompanied abroad by intelligence and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers.
“And now we’re welcoming the IRGC officers, IRGC _ the same entity that downed PS752. And we’re issuing visas for them. This is a danger for national security in this country.’’
By Neil Davidson
The Canadian Press
