Respect to Iranian football team

The Vice-President of the 2006 World Cup Organizing Committee, Wolfgang Niersbach, expressed his respect for the Iranian football team after its qualification last week. "I have great respect for Iran's national football team and I mean this sincerely," he told <i>IRNA</i> Tuesday. However, Mr. Niersbach voiced regret over the limited number of available World Cup tickets for Iranian football fans, citing strict FIFA regulations.