Iran team questions referee before match against host Qatar at Asian Cup 2023

"I was surprised that the referee for our semi-final match was from Kuwait - an Arab country. I wondered why they chose an Arab referee for the upcoming match. But we are the Iranian team, a big team in Asia. Iran has many good and professional players, we are ready for the challenge.", midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi shared with the media before the second semi-final match of the 2023 Asian Cup.

The match between Iran and Qatar attracted a lot of attention. The host Qatar is the defending champion of the tournament - representing the Arab countries. The Iranian team is the leading candidate for the championship of the 2023 Asian Cup. They have reason to doubt the refereeing issue when facing the home team. The referee for this match is Mr. Ahmad Al-Ali of Kuwait, he has refereed 2 group stage matches and 1 match in the round of 16.

Sharing the same opinion with his students, Iran's head coach - Mr. Amir Ghalenoei was upset: "At least in this tournament, I can say that VAR has not been kind to us. In the game against Japan, we had a foul on Sardar Azmoun that could have resulted in a penalty. VAR did not intervene to check.".

Just before the second semi-final, the Qatar Football Association wanted to change the stadium from Al Thumama to Al Bayt. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) agreed to this request. Al Bayt has a capacity of 60,000 and can provide a more impressive football atmosphere. Al Thumama has only 40,000 seats.

But according to Arab press, Qatar wants to change the stadium for another reason. They played 3 matches at Al Bayt Stadium and won all 3, so they want to play football in a place that brings them luck.

Meanwhile, the AFC agreed to change the match venue but with the condition that Qatar must get the approval of the Iranian Football Federation. Of course, in the current tense atmosphere, Iran flatly rejected the request of host Qatar.

The match between Iran and Qatar takes place at 10pm on February 7.