Sputnik- Iran�s national football team has excellent chances of making it to the 2018 World Cup finals and many of its fans will come to Russia next summer, unfazed by chiller-dillers like the BBC�s "Russia's Hooligan Army� documentary, Abbas Ismail Beigi, leader of Tehran�s Persepolis FC told Sputnik.


��Football is a language that brings together football lovers everywhere in�the world. Unfortunately, our beloved game is now being turned into�an instrument of�political pressure and this is probably one of�the reasons why [the BBC film] came out�in the first place,� Abbas Ismail Beigi told Sputnik Persian.


He mentioned FIFA�s decision to�grant Russia the right to�host the 2018 World Cup over�all other contenders as�a possible reason for�the ongoing attempts to�vilify it.
�When a country is chosen to�host a major event like�the World Cup, it receives a huge budget to�make it happen. However, some people don�t like�to lose out�and so they start stoking up�conflicts between�nations,� Abbas said.


Speaking about�the BBC documentary about�hardline Russian fans clashing with�their British �colleagues� in�Marseille, he said that one should not paint all fans with�the same brush only because some of�them behave inadequately.

�The BBC film also showed Liverpool fans going on�a rampage during�the 2006 World, Cup in�Germany. After a game in�Frankfurt, local police tried and failed to�bring them to�order.�

He added that football should stay away from�politics and not be allowed to�be used by�people who have nothing to�do with�the game.

�I have met with�Russian football fans, including those who came to�Iran. They love their country and their national team. The World Cup happens only once every four years and the fans are all looking forward to�it and trying hard to�get there, even if their team is not going.�
�We all hope that the Iranian squad will make it to�the 2018 World Cup finals and we�ll go to�Russia. Rooting for�your favorite team at�the world�s number one tournament � what could be better?�� Abbas Ismail Beigi said in�conclusion.


The BBC documentary �Russia�s Hooligan Army,� aired in�February, alleges that Russian football fans plan to�stir up�trouble for�English fans during�the 2018 World Cup in�Russia.

The viewers are made to�believe that the Russian hooligans� violent behavior had been �authorized� by�senior officials back home.

The authors even try to�draw a line between�the rampaging hooligans and President Putin who they claim is chummy with�the notorious leader of�the Russian Football Fans� Union Alexander Shprygin.