Sport

Iranwire – Iran’s soccer stars are used to the love and admiration of football fans throughout the country. But returning the love of the people has cost them dear. The one they called “the magician”, Ali Karimi, has had his properties confiscated by security forces and his statue torn down. “The monarch”, Ali Daei, has had his passport confiscated and is being prevented from …

RFL/RE – Rights group Open Stadiums have called on world football’s governing body to kick Iran out of the World Cup finals in Qatar in November because of the Islamic Republic’s discrimination against women. In an open letter sent to FIFA President Gianni Infantino on September 29, the group said Iranian authorities continued to refuse to allow female fans access to games …

Iranwire – A spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry has condemned the US Treasury for lifting sanctions on would-be internet providers seeking to expand their services in protest-hit Iran. Nasser Kanani said on Sunday that the action taken by the Office for Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) last Friday was “another sign this country is seeking to weaken the security and stability …

Iranwire – The Iranian National Olympic Committee’s so-called Sports Ethics Commission has written to Mehdi Taj, the newly re-elected head of the Iranian Football Federation, asking that he impose tighter restrictions on women and girls coming to watch football matches at Azadi Stadium. Recent weeks have seen renewed pressure on Iran to drop the decades-old discriminatory policy that bars female fans from …

Iran-HRM – Yesterday the news website Tarafdari shared a video of a young Sepahan FC fan who stuck outside the gates of Isfahan’s Fouladshahr Stadium as a match between Sepahan and Zob-e Ahan kicked off inside. Swathed in the club’s black and yellow flag, the distraught interviewee said: “I really don’t see why this enmity has to continue. Why should we be …

Iranwire – Under pressure from FIFA, yesterday the Iranian Football Federation partially relented on its decades-old policy of excluding Iranian women from football stadiums. A small number of female fans were allowed into Azadi Stadium to watch the match between Esteghlal and Mes Kerman, which ended with a 1-0 victory for Esteghlal. On the eve of the World Cup, Mirshad …

Iranwire – In the last week of July, it was widely reported in Iran that Minister of Sports and Youth Hamid Sajjadi had received a letter from FIFA regarding women and girls being admitted to football matches. Sajjadi did not deny the letter, but went on the record saying FIFA’s message had been a request, “not a requirement”. Last week, …

Iranwire – On Wednesday, August 10, two days before the start of the 22nd Iran Pro League, the Iran Football League Organization announced matches this season would all take place without spectators. Eight games duly kicked off on Friday and Saturday before tens of thousands of empty seats. Earlier, the Iranian Football Federation and National Coronavirus Taskforce had agreed stadiums could be at …

Iranwire – Despite earlier promises to the contrary, English Premier League football matches were not shown on Iranian TV this weekend due to a last-minute decision by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. Fans waiting to watch Fulham v Liverpool on Friday, or Manchester United v Brighton on Saturday, were left staring at alternative coverage on the IRIB’s TV3 and Varzesh …

Iranwire – Ex-Olympic champions, retirees from sports and seriously injured athletes are being paid less than half the Iranian minimum wage in pensions and stipends – if indeed they are being paid at all, documents seen by IranWire show. The Sports Champions and Pioneers Support Credit Fund was created in 2004 by the Khatami administration, under the auspices of the …