As if the widespread reign of terror and oppression wasn't enough, now Iranian authorities unleash fire on sportsmen! "Four players, Ali Karimi, 31; the captain against South Korea, Mehdi Mahdavikia, 32; Hosein Ka’abi, 24; and Vahid Hashemian, 32 wore either green wristbands or armbands during the first half of the match....The players were told to remove the wristbands at halftime because FIFA, the sport’s world governing body, prohibits any political displays and because the bands were not part of their uniforms...The gesture by the players drew worldwide attention and comment. In addition to being barred for life by Iran’s soccer officials, the four players have been forbidden to give interviews to the news media." NYT
"Ahmadinejad, a known football fan, has taken a close interest in the sport's affairs. In 2006 Iran was banned from international competition by the world governing body Fifa after claims of improper interference by his government. The ban was later lifted.
This year the national team coach Ali Daei was sacked, reportedly on Ahmadinejad's orders, after a 2-1 home defeat by Saudi Arabia." The Guardian
5 comments:
IT might be to distract the attention, so the real horrendous events are not that noticed, and other things are paid attention to.
wow.. i dont have the context to any of this.. but why exactly would a green band create such a ruckus in the first place?
Green has become a signature color of the protests against the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s president. Besides, the FIFA does not allow for players to display political alliances on the field other than the countries they represent. I could understand if the FIFA had imposed some penalty on the players for violating the rule, but the Iranian Gov. imposing a 'lifetime ban'!!??
I believe your country, Argentina, is also going through some difficult times with Kirchner and her spouse; these are some trying times around the world: Iran, Honduras, Argentina, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghnistan... the list seems endless.
Thanks for stopping by.
really appreciate your concern and your humanitarian perspective...
yes they are great players and now they cannot play for their beloved counrty... and it is interesting that after the gov.'s ban, FIFA condemned this act... but alas!
this is just one of the numerous oppressive acts...
i'm happy people all over the world are with our people... and they show this... even by wearing green bands...
July 25th is announced the day to support Iranian people's movement...
peace to you dear friend...
The soccer is the best sport around the world and every country should have the opportunity to play it with the FIFA's rules.Nice blog.
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