PLDC - Following the cancellation of Tractor FC’s match against Shams Azar in the Iranian Hazfi Cup due to the team’s failure to travel to Qazvin, Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that the Croatian embassy had warned Tractor head coach Dragan Skocic not to leave his residence in Tabriz because of security concerns in Iran.
According to the report, the match was scheduled to take place at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday in the Round of 16 of the Hazfi Cup. Despite the presence of the host team and match officials, Tractor’s players and staff neither traveled to the stadium nor left East Azerbaijan Province. Fars claimed this decision was made after the Croatian embassy contacted Skocic and advised him not to leave his accommodation.
Fars dismissed the embassy’s warning as baseless, insisting that Iran has returned to a state of calm and that daily life is proceeding normally. The agency cited another match held in Yazd involving Esteghlal and foreign players as evidence of security in the country.
The report also attempted to downplay security concerns by stating that Tabriz has been among the calmest cities in recent weeks and referencing Croatia’s past wartime history, suggesting the embassy’s warning was exaggerated.
Tractor FC currently has several Croatian members in its squad and coaching staff, including four players and three coaches in addition to Skocic.
Fars’ claims of stability come amid reports from Iran International stating that at least 12,000 people were killed during two consecutive nights of nationwide unrest on January 18 and 19, and that a nationwide internet shutdown has continued for more than five days.
