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AFC Champions League 2018   Dato' Windsor John  

Windsor John

Persian League - A few days ago, the Iranian officials announced that the matches between Iranian football clubs and Saudi Arabian teams will be played on a home-and-away basis in the next year's AFC Champions League.

It made Iranian football fans happy and shortly after Mohammadreza Saket, General Secretary of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI), said the decision has been approved by the AFC's executive committee

After a while, FFIRI president Mehdi Taj said Iran will withdraw from the AFC Champions League if the AFC Executive Committee decides that Iranian and Saudi Arabian clubs to play each other in neutral venues.

After the 2018 AFC Champions League draw ceremony held in Malaysia on Wednesday, Dato' Windsor John, the AFC general secretary, said Iran and Saudi Arabian teams should play in neutral venues.

The Iranian football federation’s Advisor for International Affairs, Hamidreza Assefi, said, “Iran will not take Windsor John seriously until AFC officially announces it. We’ve already requested the AFC Executive Committee to clarify the issue and order the Saudi Arabian teams to accept home-and-away format. If the Saudi Arabian officials interfere in the football affairs and change the format, we will protest it. We’ve heard they are lobbying with AFC for not traveling to Iran.”