Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has committed a crime in denying the Holocaust and should not be allowed into Germany during the World Cup, the head of the German Jewish community said on Wednesday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at a ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Iran's late leader, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran June 3, 2006. Ahmadinejad has committed a crime in denying the Holocaust and should not be allowed into Germany during the World Cup, the head of the German Jewish community said on Wednesday. [Reuters]

Charlotte Knobloch, elected president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany on Wednesday, told ARD television that she hoped the government would keep Ahmadinejad out even though some cabinet members said he should be allowed to visit.

"The Iranian president denies the Holocaust happened," Knobloch said. "That is a criminal offence here. I cannot understand how he could be given a chance to come here. I hope that ways will be found to prevent him from coming."

Ahmadinejad has faced criticism across Europe in the past for inflammatory remarks about Israel and statements questioning whether the Holocaust happened. Six million Jews were killed by the Nazis and their allies in concentration camps.

Denying the Holocaust is a serious crime in Germany punishable by up to five years in prison.

An avid fan of Iran's soccer team, Ahmadinejad has left open whether he will visit Germany for the World Cup, saying his decision depended "on a lot of different things." Iran play Mexico in their first World Cup match on June 11 in Nuremberg.

Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has spoken out against a ban but said he would tell Ahmadinejad his comments were unacceptable if he comes.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she did not expect Ahmadinejad to come and German football association co-president Theo Zwanziger said he was against banning him because that would only "make him a martyr."

Iran's vice president Mohammad Aliabadi will attend the opening match of the World Cup between Germany and Costa Rica in Munich on Friday, the German government said on Wednesday.

Iranian team officials have raised the prospect of Ahmadinejad coming to Germany if the team advances to the second round of the competition.