Soccer-'This is not our national team' - why some Iranians want their own country banned from World Cup

MANCHESTER, England : A group of current and former Iranian sportspeople say they have no choice but to turn on their own country, citing what they called state-sponsored violence and discrimination against ordinary Iranians, especially women.

The group, containing former champions in sports such as karate, judo and wrestling, including those living in exile and based in their homeland, are taking a stand.

Last week, in conjunction with a Spanish law firm, they sent a letter to world soccer's governing body FIFA demanding their own country be withdrawn from next month's World Cup.

"Iran is different to any other country," former wrestling world junior champion and national team coach Sardar Pashaei told Reuters.

"A football federation should be independent, but in Iran it's a joke. Everything is controlled by the Revolutionary Guards - the Revolutionary Guards are recognised as a terrorist group by the U.S...

"We contacted FIFA and we said enough is enough. We believe that Iran is killing protesters. They should be banned until we have a democratic country like any other country in the world."

FIFA declined to comment on the letter when approached by Reuters and the Iranian authorities did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations made against them.

In one of the boldest challenges to Iran's clerical leaders since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, mass protests have continued for seven weeks in the country, despite a deadly security crackdown and increasingly severe warnings.

Iranian authorities have accused the Islamic Republic's arch-enemies the United States and Israel and alleged local agents of being behind the unrest to destabilise the country.

The protests were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in