By Staff Writer
June 14th marks the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. As
football is the most popular sport in Iran, Iranian media has been
discussing the impact that the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal has
had on football.
Two weeks ago, the American company, Nike, refused to provide shoes
for Iran’s national football team because of US sanctions, despite their
previous agreement to do so. As well, many international companies are
wary of sponsoring Iran’s national team.
Iranian women are banned from entering stadiums to watch the games,
as this is regarded as being against Islam. Gender-based discrimination
is against FIFA’s rules, and is one of the reasons Iran may not host
international football tournaments. When Iranian teams host foreign
football teams as part of Asian qualification games, the Islamic
Republic attempts to meet the criteria by allowing a small group of
foreign female football fans to watch the game — seating them in a
separate part of the stadium.
Iranian state-run TV channels rarely broadcast women’s football and
futsal matches, depriving the teams from an important source of income.
Sponsors have little motivation to support women’s teams with such
scarce TV coverage.
Then, there’s the problem of Israel. The Islamic Republic of Iran
does not recognize the state of Israel. Iranian footballers are banned
from playing against Israeli teams. Iranian footballers who play in
European clubs face a complicated situation if their teams play against
Israeli clubs, because if Iranian footballers do not play, they face
heavy sanctions by FIFA. If they do play, they may face punishment from
Iranian authorities.
In August 2018, the Ministry of Sports and Youth announced that two
Iranian footballers would not be invited to play for Iran’s national
team, because they had crossed the Islamic Republic’s “red lines” when
they played against an Israeli club. This nearly led to suspension. The
two players, Masoud Shojaei and Ehsan Hajsafi, played as part of the
Greek club Panionios in a Europa League qualifier against Maccabi Tel
Aviv. After the announcement, FIFA demanded explanation from Iran over
this decision. Media outlets broadcast news that Iran would be suspended
over the matter, but Iran’s football federation, concerned over being
penalized on the eve of the 2018 World Cup, allowed the two players to
play for Iran’s national team.
FIFA had previously suspended the Iranian federation in November of
2006, after Iran’s Physical Education Organization interfered during the
2006 World Cup. The ban was lifted in December 2006, when the Iranian
government declared its commitment to not interfere in football affairs.
The directors of at least 10 Iranian football clubs are current or
former commanders of the military forces – the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC). Their positions derive from the IRCG’s financial and
lobbying powers. Iran’s military institutions indirectly impact
football. A group of the IRGC’s paramilitary Basij members attacked
Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran, breaking up diplomatic relations
between the two countries. Saudi officials decided to stop sending their
football teams to Tehran, saying that the security of its footballers
would be at risk in Iran. Their decision was backed by the Asian
Football Confederation. Iranian teams have been deprived of encounters
with Saudi teams in Tehran since January 2016. The two teams must play
in third-party countries.
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