Iran football players 'banned'

Viper · 06-24-2009, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Iran football players 'banned' after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad protest
The Iranian football players who wore green wristbands to protest against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have reportedly been banned from the team for life.

A pro-government newspaper reported they had been "retired" from the national team after several members wore green tape on their wrists in a World Cup qualifier against South Korea in Seoul.

Other newspapers said the players were retiring voluntarily, reportedly because of their age, but at least one suggested they were forced out.
The speculation focused on two players who both wore green in Seoul: Ali Karimi, 31, and Mehdi Mahdavikia, 32. However, both had earlier announced plans to quit soon because of their age.

The Seoul incident was a gesture of solidarity with opposition leader Mir Hossain Mousavi whose supporters accuse the government of rigging Iran's June 12 election in favour of the hard-line President Ahmadinejad.

Green was adopted as the colour of Mousavi's campaign and has been widely displayed in opposition street protests in Iran's post-election turmoil.

At least seven Iranian players wore the bands in the first half against South Korea, although most were forced to take them off before the second.

Mahdavikia is one of Iran's biggest sports heroes for a goal he scored to eliminate the United States during the first round of the World Cup in 1998. Karimi is also a football star who has played for Germany's Bayern Munich.

Iran was later eliminated from World Cup qualifying after a draw between Saudi Arabia and North Korea.

I thought that sports and politics werent alowed to interfere?

super_hoops1967 · 06-24-2009, 11:17 AM

i knew somet would happen after seeing them with the bands on during the match.

**Chelsea Lad** · 06-24-2009, 01:34 PM

Sports and politics should NEVER interfere with one another (well actually sport can effect politics ). Sport is one way where a country can forget all it's bad points and have some fun cheering on their country, look at Georgia travelling to Wales when all the Russian troops were in the country and N Korea reaching the WC finals despite all it's political instability and then there's us also with political uprest yet England doing well makes us forget it all...