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Aussies in Tehran for playoff battle
TEHRAN (AP) -- The Australian soccer team arrived in Tehran today to battle Iran for the last berth of next year's World Cup in France.Australia and Iran will play two games -- in Tehran on Saturday and in Melbourne on Nov. 29 -- to secure the 32nd and last place for the World Cup competitions.
"We have received an excellent reception, and everything has been marvelous," said Australia's ambassador in Tehran, Stuart Hume. "Even if our team doesn't win here it won't be because of a lack of hospitality or any such problems."
Hume's remarks apparently were aimed at downplaying comments by Australian soccer chairman David Hill about negative playing conditions in Iran, which stirred a minor diplomatic row with Iran last week and angered FIFA authorities
Hill had said he feared for the safety and health of his players because of rowdy fans, contaminated water, bad food and the tensions between neighboring Iraq and the U.S.
But Hill said in Dubai on Thursday, where the team was training last week, that his players were looking forward to Saturday's match.
Offering an apparent olive branch, Hill said his comments about conditions in Iran were based on information provided by the Australian Foreign Ministry.
In Dubai, Hill said he would honor a FIFA ruling that cleared four Iranians of two yellow cards violations each and allowed them to play in Saturday's match.
"If FIFA has decided, we will not complain but accept the ruling. We had asked FIFA for its interpretation of the rule governing this clause," he said.
FIFA said Wednesday that the slate had been wiped for yellow cards because they were incurred in the Asian qualifiers. A FIFA spokesman said that the forthcoming playoffs were considered a different stage of the competition.
Those allowed to play are goalkeeper and captain Ahmad-Reza Abedzadeh, striker Khodadad Azizi, Ostad Asadali and Mohammad Khakpour.
Iran visited Toronto this summer, defeating the Canadian national team 1-0 in an Aug. 17 friendly.
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan
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