US Soccer Federation cancels Qatar training over 'developing situation' in Middle East

The United States Soccer Federation has cancelled a training session in Qatar over escalating hostilities between Iran and the US in the Middle East.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab & agencies

04 January, 2020

The US men's team said it hope to train the future in Qatar [Getty]

The US men’s football team has canceled its plan to train in Doha, Qatar, from Jan. 5-25 “due to the developing situation in the region.”

The US Soccer Federation announced the decision on Friday, a day after a US military air struck killed top Iranian military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

The Americans will move training to a site in the United States that has not yet been determined. They will be use a roster of players mostly from Major League Soccer ahead of an exhibition against Costa Rica in Feb. 1 at Carson, California.

The USSF said it hopes to train in the future at Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup.

On Friday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued a warning following the killing of top Iranian commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani, saying the "world cannot afford" another Gulf war.

"The secretary-general has consistently advocated for de-escalation in the Gulf," a spokesman for Guterres said in a statement.

"This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint. The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf."

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