IRAN’S football federation (FFIRI) says that its ⁠ticket allocation for the World Cup has been pulled ⁠just days before ⁠football’s global showpiece kicks ⁠off.

This leaves supporters who ⁠had already ‌made travel plans unable to ‌attend their team’s ‌matches, with the FFIRI calling it a decision “to sabotage the presence of Iranian fans” at the tournament.

“This is despite the fact that ⁠many Iranian football fans, relying on the officially announced process, had already made the ‌necessary plans to attend ‌the matches,” ⁠it added.

It said the move was “contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries.”

Under Fifa regulations, every participating country gets 8 per cent of tickets for each match allocated to its federation to officially distribute to fans, with Iran due to receive the standard allocation.

However, the FFIRI is now claiming to have had this revoked just days before their Group G opener with New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.