Key takeaways:
- A friendly game is currently planned for June 5 in Vancouver’s B.C. Place.
- B.C. Premier John Horgan states ‘it’ll be a tough time’ for numerous when Canada hosts Iran in a football friendly on June 5 at B.C. Place.
B.C. Premier John Horgan states he will “leave it to Soccer Canada” to justify the decision to host Iran in a football-friendly game next month in Vancouver.
The game, which arrives as Canada readies for the World Cup in November in Qatar, has proven contentious for Soccer Canada.
At problem is whether Canada should be hosting Iran, given the Canadians who passed away on Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 when it was hit down on Jan. 8, 2020, minutes after taking off from Tehran, by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.
The Canadian government states that 55 Canadian residents and 30 permanent residents were among the 176 individuals killed.
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Horgan’s comments come after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated Tuesday that “it wasn’t a very good idea to host the Iranian football squad here in Canada.”
Horgan said after Trudeau’s comments that he “was reminded and deliberating on the Canadian lives that were lost when an aircraft was hit down in Iranian airspace, murdering British Columbians.”
“I’ve often met with the Iranian community on various topics, which is always front of mind. So I know it’ll be difficult for families who’ve lost loved ones and even those who have continuously been following these cases,” he added. “But I’ll leave it to Soccer Canada to examine how and why this came about.”
The game is prepared to take place on June 5 in B.C. Place.
Source – cbc.ca
