World Cup chief Hassan Al-Thawadi accuses Jurgen Klinsmann of ‘racist’ comments with Iran analysis

World Cup chief Hassan Al-Thawadi has accused Jurgen Klinsmann of making racist remarks as controversy surrounding the German legend’s analysis of Iran’s win over Wales continues.

Iran manager Carlos Queiroz was incensed by Klinsmann’s punditry of the game, writing on social media how his comments about “Iran culture, Iran national team and my players are a disgrace to football.”

The former Manchester United assistant also called on Klinsmann to resign as a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group.

Working on the BBC’s coverage of the tournament, the 1990 World Cup winner deconstructed Iran’s game plan in their 2-0 victory, saying, “It is not by coincidence, it is part of their culture, how they play”.

“They worked the referee. They work the linesman and fourth official, they are constantly in their ear. There were a lot of incidents we didn’t see. This is their culture, they take you off your game”, he said.

Al-Thawadi – who is Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of the tournament – has now waded into the argument with some bold claims.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Al-Thawadi said, “The Iran vs Wales game. Iran played very good. They were the better team. And yet the coverage that we saw on BBC by Jurgen Klinsmann talking about their culture and reflecting the players in a way that was… I don’t like using the word, I will use it only once because I don’t want to give power to the word, it was very elitist, orientalist and racist to a certain extent.”

“I’ll say it this way: you look at what is happening and you say it is part of their culture, what do you mean by that? Are you saying it was misunderstood? He was representing a culture in a negative way”, Al-Thawadi said.

Klinsmann has already defended himself by saying the comments have been taken “out of context” and has offered to speak to Queiroz on the phone to smooth things over.

With the discontent amongst Iranians – and now the competition’s organisers – continuing, the 58-year-old has taken to Twitter to once again try and dampen tensions.

“My comments on the Wales v Iran game were purely football related. Unfortunately, this was taken out of a footballing context. I have many Iranian friends and was always full of compliments for their people, culture, and history. I wish them only the best for the tournament”, he said.

Queiroz should be open to a conversation with Klinsmann though, as his lengthy statement online following the incident said, “despite your outrageous remarks on BBC trying to undermine our efforts, sacrifices and skills, we promise you that we will not produce any judgements regarding your culture, roots and background and that you will always be welcome to our family.”