Canada, future adversary of Morocco, cancels its match against Iran

The two teams are set to face off on the night of June 5-6 in Vancouver, as part of preparations for the World Cup in Qatar. Canada is housed in the same group (F) as Morocco, alongside Belgium and Croatia.

The holding of this meeting had been the subject of criticism for several weeks, both from the Canadian authorities and from the public. For good reason, people remember the national drama caused by the Iranian army.

To read: World Cup: here are Morocco’s opponents

In 2020, an airliner carrying Canadian nationals in particular was mistakenly shot down by Iranian anti-aircraft defense shortly after taking off in Tehran. 176 people on board, including 85 Canadian citizens or permanent residents, were killed. The Iranian armed forces admitted three days later that they had shot down the aircraft “by mistake”.

For Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the friendly match scheduled between Canada and Iran “was not a very good idea”. The Association of the Families of the Victims of Flight PS752 had also asked the federation to cancel the meeting.

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