A mini-hope flares up for the European champion…
May the Italians possibly compete at the World Cup in Qatar?
Actually, the reigning European champions were embarrassingly eliminated 0-1 in the play-off semifinals against North Macedonia. However, the Italian media are now fueling new hope.
It has to do with Iran’s participation in the World Cup. The Iranian national team played their last qualifying game on Tuesday and secured their ticket to Qatar with a 2-0 win against Lebanon.
Before the game, however, a scandal broke out. 2000 women were denied entry to the match despite having valid tickets.
In the worst case, Iran could now be excluded from the World Cup as a punishment. Mehrdad Seraji, board member of the Iranian Football Association, wrote on Twitter: “From Fifa and AFC (Asian Football Confederation, ed.) We hear worrying news.”
Spectacular horseback ride in Japan
Baseball boss dashes through the stadium on a drone
Quelle: KameraOne / @hn8yt64ka16 via Spectee
That could call the Italians into action. Should Iran really be excluded, a team for the World Cup must move up logically. FIFA could nominate the country with the highest place in the world rankings.
Also due to the European Championship triumph last year, Italy is currently sixth in the list and would therefore be the mandatory replacement candidate.
However, the Squadra Azzurra must also hope for a premiere in this case. A country that has already qualified has never been excluded from a World Cup. It is therefore more likely that the Italians will have to watch from the sofa.
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