BERLIN (AFP) - The future of the Iranian-born footballer Ashkan Dejagah with the German national team was in jeopardy on Wednesday after he refused to play in Israel for political reasons.

German football's top official said he would make it clear to Dejagah that he had responsibilities if he wanted to continue to play for Germany.

Dejagah, 21, pulled out of an Under-21 match to be played in Tel Aviv on Friday, saying he feared for the safety of relatives in Iran if he played in Israel.

The German Football Federation has said it accepted his "personal reasons" for not making the trip, but the federation's president Theo Zwanziger adopted a harder line, saying he would try to persuade Dejagah to decide whether he could fulfill his obligations as a player for Germany.

"I will make it a little harder for him and try to impress on him the sense of responsibility that a German national player must show," Zwanziger said in Die Welt newspaper.

The outcome of the discussion could determine whether Dejagah ever plays again for Germany, Zwanziger said.

The VfL Wolfsburg player was born in Iran and moved to Germany with his parents. He has both German and Iranian passports.

Although he has already represented Germany at Under-21 level, Dejagah still has the right to switch allegiance and play for Iran at senior level.

Joachim Loew, the coach of the senior German team who has been considering selecting Dejagah for his squad, said he regretted the player's decision to refuse to play in Israel.

"I know the political problems. Basically I hoped and expected that for sporting reasons, a German Under-21 player would have made a different decision. I have to be quite clear on that point," Loew said.

The Central Council of Jews in Germany has called for Dejagah to be banned from playing for the country.

Iran does not recognise Israel's right to exist and Iranian President President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the country to be wiped off the map.