Striker will not play in March World Cup warmup games
Backlash after player based in UAE met Dubai’s ruler
Sardar Azmoun has been omitted from the Iran squad announced for two World Cup warm-ups after Iranian media reports that the striker had been expelled from the national team for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government.
Azmoun, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals, was the most notable absentee from a 35-man squad named by the head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, on Friday for friendlies against Nigeria and Costa Rica in the Turkish city of Antalya.
Azmoun, who plays his club football in the United Arab Emirates for Shabab Al Ahli, upset the Iranian authorities this week by posting a picture on his Instagram feed of a meeting with Dubai’s ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Iran has launched rocket and drone attacks on the UAE after airstrikes by the United States and Israel, which killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
