Sport

Iranwire – In the sixth week of Persian Gulf Pro League matches in Iran, the man in charge of making it all happen has thrown cold water over the prospect of fans returning. Soheil Mehdi, president of the Iran Football League Organization, announced that with the sole exception of an upcoming game between Persepolis and Sanat Naft Abadan FC the …

Iranwire – On Friday, November 19, for the first time in 634 days, the doors of Azadi football stadium will be open to fans. Spectators have not been allowed to watch football matches in stadiums since February 23, 2020, when Iranian officials formally recognized that coronavirus was beginning to spread throughout Iran. When matches finally resumed, games were held without …

Iranwire – Like others around the world, Lebanese people and political figures took to Twitter prior to the match between Lebanon and Iran on Thursday 10, 2021, at Rafic Hariri Stadium in the Lebanese city of Sidon, to speculate after suspicious pictures of Iranian football players’ luggage had surfaced online. The pictures showed each Iranian football star pushing three to four large …

Iranwire – With some delay due to earlier problems procuring an un-sanctioned plane, images of the players and coaches of the Iranian national football team at Beirut Airport have been shared in cyberspace. Both lay social media users and the international media have sat up and taken notice. The official account of Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya called the Iranian delegation’s extra luggage …

Iranwire – A top sports official in Iran has been quoted by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting as saying authorities had “created the conditions” for sports venues to reopen in Iran. “From today, sports venues will be reopened in accordance with health protocols,” Dr. Amin Norouzi, head of the Sports Medicine Federation, told reporters on Sunday. From November 11, he …

Iranwire – The Iranian Football Federation has cancelled the national team’s planned flight to Beirut as its preferred airline could not get clearance from the Lebanese authorities and no other planes are available. Team Melli is due to play Lebanon in the World Cup Qualifiers on November 11 and according to the rules, must arrive no later than three days …

Al-Monitor – Exactly one week after the national Iranian men’s soccer team tied South Korea 1-1 in a crucial 2022 World Cup qualifier in the empty Azadi Stadium in Tehran, Saudi fans — both male and female — loudly cheered at Prince Faisal Bin Fahad Stadium in Riyadh as Saudi Al Hilal club took on Iran’s Persepolis in the quarterfinals …

Iranwire – A former Iranian football referee has broken his silence about corruption in the beautiful game and the influence of what he termed the country’s “football mafia”. On Tuesday, October 26, Vahid Salehi made a series of shocking claims on Islamic Republic Radio about his former colleagues “selling” penalties at league competitions, making back-room deals with sports moguls and fiddling their …

RFL/RE – The Iranian Parliament is set to decide soon on whether women should be allowed into soccer stadiums, a move pushed hard in recent years by FIFA, the world governing body for the sport. Women have been banned from attending soccer matches in stadiums for four decades in the conservative Muslim nation. “The Football Federation of Iran [FFI] has …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO)- Juvenile offender Arman Abdoali has been transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his execution for the second time in the last week. His execution is due to be carried out in the coming days. On October 11, Arman was transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for his scheduled execution on October 13 and his parents were summoned for their …