Iran protests FIBA over World Cup hosting arrangements
The Basketball Federation of Iran has lodged a protest to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) over the allocation of hosting rights and the conditions provided to the national team during the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers, calling for the matter to be reviewed.
Iran’s home game against New Zealand in the second-round Group E of the qualifiers on Aug. 28 was moved to Pasay, Philippines, over security concerns amid the wartime circumstances in the region – the same reason that forced the country to host Syria in Amman, Jordan, in the previous group phase in June.
In a letter to FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis on Monday, the national governing body of the sport stressed the need to uphold “fairness, equal treatment of teams and competitive balance,” while expressing concern over the Philippines being repeatedly awarded hosting rights despite being one of the teams in Iran’s group.
Entering the second round on the back of a top-spot finish in the preliminary Group C – thanks to a 5-1 run – Iran got off to a disappointing start in the fourth window of the qualifiers, suffering an overtime 93-91 setback against New Zealand before losing 68-56 to the Philippines three days later in Pasay.
“The repeated allocation of hosting rights to the Philippines, given that the team is one of the direct rivals of the other teams in the group, raises concerns over the principles of neutrality and equality of competition,” the letter read.
Iran has asked FIBA to formally review the hosting arrangements for the group and insisted that its home fixtures against Australia and the Philippines in late November should be played in Tehran in line with the principle of fairness and equal competitive conditions.
The federation also argued that Iran’s ability to host games should be assessed under the same standards applied to countries such as Lebanon, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, calling for uniform criteria to be used in determining hosting rights for all teams.
The Iranian federation also called on FIBA to investigate the poor conditions provided for its national team during recent competitions, though it did not elaborate on the matter.
The letter concluded by reaffirming Iran’s commitment to FIBA, fair play and equal treatment of all teams, saying the purpose of raising the issue was to safeguard the integrity of the competition and ensure fair and appropriate conditions for all teams participating in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers.
Iran called on FIBA to review the issues as soon as possible and take the necessary measures to protect the rights of Iran and the other teams competing in the World Cup qualifiers.
The recent setbacks left Iran third in the Group E standings with 13 points – three and one behind Australia and New Zealand, respectively, and level with fourth-placed Jordan.
The top three in each of the two qualifying groups, plus the best fourth-placed team, will secure a spot at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar next summer.
Iran will open its bid for a fifth men’s basketball medal in six Asian Games editions against Qatar on Thursday at Nagoya’s Aichi International Arena.
Iran will then take on Chinese Taipei on Sept. 12 in a repeat of the thrilling quarterfinal clash at last year’s FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia, where Iran produced an epic fightback to overcome a 21-point deficit and win 78-75.
The final round of the Group B fixtures will see Iran take on Jordan on Sept. 13. The two sides met at the World Cup Asian qualifiers in July. Iran comprehensively won 67-49, making amends for the 73-60 setback against its familiar West Asian foe earlier in the qualifiers in February.
The top two teams from each group will be joined by the two best third-placed teams in the quarterfinals.