Iran remains on course to face the Super Eagles this weekend despite mounting tension

NIGERIA'S Super Eagles remain on course to face Iran's national team this Friday at a four-nation friendly tournament taking place in Turkey despite the ongoing volatility in the Middle East and the expulsion of two Iranian players from their squad.

After missing out on the World Cup inter-continental play-offs, Nigeria has been invited to participate in a four-nation invitational tournament taking place between March 27 and 31. This tournament, involving the national teams of Jordan, Iran and Costa Rica, will now take place in the Turkish city of Antalya, having been moved from the Jordanian capital Amman, due to the Middle East crisis.

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has already named a 23-man squad for the tournament, with camp due to open tomorrow. Despite hinting that it may withdraw from the World Cup due to take place in the US in the summer, Iran will be in turkey this week, albeit without two influential players.

Striker Sardar Azmoun has been expelled from the national team after sharing a photograph of himself shaking hands with Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, at a time of heightened political tensions between Iran and several Gulf nations. Apparently, the Iranian authorities have moved to seize assets belonging to Azmoun, as well as UAE-based forward Mehdi Ghayedi and former international Soroush Rafiei, further underscoring the gravity of the situation.

Azmoun, 31, is one of Iran’s most prolific forwards, with 57 goals in 91 international appearances. He currently plays for Shabab Al-Ahli and has previously featured for European clubs including Zenit Saint Petersburg, Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma.

With the absence of key personnel, Iran is expected to significantly weakened squad, raising concerns about the team’s competitiveness and readiness for the World Cup. Already, Iran has asked that its three matches be moved from the US to either of the co-hosts Canada or Mexico but Fifa has rejected this request.