A group of Iranian athletes have submitted the request to ban the national team, alongside the guidance of Spanish law firm, Ruiz-Huerta & Crespo.
The brutality the Iranian regime has shown towards its own people has been the primary motivator of this formal request.
The dire situation for women in Iran is a fundamental concern for the group of athletes.
In addition to the crisis women face in Iran over their political and socio-economic freedoms, women are denied access to Football grounds across the country and have simply been prohibited from partaking in Iranian Football culture.
The dire situation for women in Iran is a fundamental concern for the group of athletes.
The group has argued that if FIFA do not respond with any action, they are in violation of their own statutes, which form part of their governing constitution.
It has been claimed that the Iranian Football Association is in violation of Article 3, respecting internationally recognised human rights, Article 4, discrimination of any kind, and Article 19, each member association shall manage its affairs independently and without third party influence.
Moreover, it has been made aware FIFA have the statutory right through Article 16, to immediately suspend a member association without a vote of the FIFA Congress.
As well as the oppression Iranian women have faced, the group has stated that both former and current Football players, including national legends Ali Daei and Ali Karimi, have been targeted by the government due to their opposition to the regime.
Paired with the issues the group has presented over the actions of the Iranian government in the treatment of women, they have also raised concerns over the government supplying Russia with drones for their effort in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The potential to suspend Iran is not beyond the realms of possibilities as such action has been taken in the past, mostly recently against Russia who were suspended from the Qualifying Stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Should Iran be banned, the question remains as to who takes their place with tournament being less than a month away?
It has been suggested that Ukraine should take their place, particularly by Shaktar Donetsk CEO, Sergei Palkin. Other proposals include Italy to fill the void Iran would leave as Italy are ranked as the highest to have not qualified for the finals. Another course of action would be to replace Iran with the UAE as they are the highest ranked team from the Asian Football Confederation to have not qualified.