Romania pull out of Iran friendly

AFP - The Romanian Football Federation announced that the national team would withdraw from a planned tour of Iran from November 11-12 as many of the players were too tired.
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"Bearing in mind that Romanian clubs are playing in the UEFA Cup and that other Romanian players are playing with foreign clubs, the federation has decided to opt for games closer to home," it said Tuesday.
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The decision not to play in Iran follows comments by Romanian Foreign Minister Razvan Ungureanu that there were "risks" involved playing in that country.
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He advised the football federation to think again about playing in Iran following Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for Israel to be "wiped off the map", a move condemned by many countries and by the United Nations.
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"The ministry cannot stop Romanians from travelling abroad, but it is its duty to inform them of the risks involved in such trips," he said.
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Iran have qualified for next year's World Cup finals and are expected to arrange a series of build-up matches in the next few months.