Iran’s record international goalscorer Ali Daei said that he refused an invitation to attend the World Cup in Qatar next week.
“I rejected the official invitation of FIFA and Qatar Football Federation to attend the World Cup with my wife and daughters,” he wrote. “I prefer to be next to you in my homeland and express my sympathy with all the families who lost loved ones over these days,” added Daei.
The 53-year-old Iranian football legend scored 109 goals for Iran between 1993 and 2006, a record broken by Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo last year.
