The war between the United States and Iran is now affecting planetary sports. So much so that one of the rivals of the Chilean national team withdrew from the Qatar U-17 World Cup due to security issues in the Persian Gulf area. The teenage team of the Bars and Stars decided to withdraw its delegation from the international tournament, a radical measure given the military conflict. The North American squad was competing in Group J alongside Ariel Leporati's national team, as well as the selections of Algeria and Montenegro. According to information published by The New York Times, the United States Soccer Federation (US Soccer) made the drastic decision due to growing concern over the situation in the Middle East. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of State maintains a Level 3 travel alert for destinations in that geographical area, while recommending "reconsidering travel to Qatar due to the risk of armed conflict." The players were informed of the decision on Wednesday via a letter sent by the federated football organization of that northern country. "We are writing to inform you of the difficult decision to cancel our pre-World Cup training camp and our planned participation in it. We are extremely proud of the preparation of our players and coaches to represent the United States in the World Cup. Unfortunately, given the current circumstances..."
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El Deportivo The North Americans were rivals of Ariel Leporati's team, as well as the selections of Algeria and Montenegro. The tournament is held between November 19 and December 13 in the Persian Gulf. Chile U-17 debuts on the 21st against Algeria in the Qatar World Cup. PHOTO: X @LaRoja. Comments
The war between the United States and Iran is now affecting planetary sports. So much so that one of the Chilean national team's rivals withdrew from the Qatar U-17 World Cup due to security issues in the Persian Gulf area. The adolescent team of the Bars and Stars decided to withdraw its delegation from the international competition, a radical measure in the face of the military conflict. The North American squad was competing in Group J alongside Ariel Leporati's national team, as well as the selections of Algeria and Montenegro. According to information published by The New York Times, the United States Soccer Federation (US Soccer) made the drastic decision due to growing concern over the situation in the Middle East. So much so that the U.S. Department of State maintains a Level 3 travel alert for destinations in that geographical area, while recommending "reconsidering travel to Qatar due to the risk of armed conflict."
The players were informed of the decision on Wednesday through a letter sent by the northern country's football federation. "We are writing to inform you of the difficult decision to cancel our pre-World Cup training camp and our planned participation in it. We are extremely proud of the preparation of our players and coaches to represent the United States in the World Cup. Unfortunately, given the current circumstances, including the Level 3 travel warning issued by the U.S. Department of State for Qatar and the related directives for Embassy staff and their families, we can no longer participate in the tournament. The well-being of our players and staff will always be our top priority," says the letter published by the cited newspaper.
Uncertainty The list of players for coach Alex Aldaz was announced only last week, when the definitive decision by the authorities was not yet foreseen. Even so, the squad was supposed to meet this week in Atlanta for a training camp in view of the tournament. The tournament begins next November 19, and the first match for the United States was scheduled for the 21st against the European team of Montenegro, the same day that the Rojita debuts against the Algerians. Precisely, the national squad's second match was against the team now withdrawn from the competition. Furthermore, Chile concludes its participation on November 27 against the Balkan selection.
FIFA introduced changes to the U-17 World Cup, holding it annually instead of every two years since its first edition in 1985. The tournament will be held in Qatar from 2025 to 2029. This year marks the second edition of the U-17 World Cup, which now has 48 participating teams, compared to 24 in 2023.
More about: Football Chilean U-17 National Team Qatar U-17 World Cup United States U-17 National Team NEWSLETTER El Deportivo Monday, 8:45 AM A special selection with coverage and analysis of the most important sporting events of the weekend, by the Sports team of La Tercera. By subscribing you are accepting the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policies of La Tercera.