![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/06\/How-Iran-regimes-Repressive-Policies-affect-even-Football.jpg\" "\\"TEHRAN,")
\nBy Staff Writer<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Two weeks ago, the American company, Nike, refused to provide shoes for Iran\u2019s national football team because of US sanctions, despite their previous agreement to do so. As well, many international companies are wary of sponsoring Iran\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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 \u2014 seating them in a separate part of the stadium.<\/p>\n
Iranian state-run TV channels rarely broadcast women\u2019s football and futsal matches, depriving the teams from an important source of income. Sponsors have little motivation to support women\u2019s teams with such scarce TV coverage.<\/p>\n
Then, there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
In August 2018, the Ministry of Sports and Youth announced that two Iranian footballers would not be invited to play for Iran\u2019s national team, because they had crossed the Islamic Republic\u2019s \u201cred lines\u201d 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\u2019s football federation, concerned over being penalized on the eve of the 2018 World Cup, allowed the two players to play for Iran\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n
FIFA had previously suspended the Iranian federation in November of 2006, after Iran\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The directors of at least 10 Iranian football clubs are current or former commanders of the military forces \u2013 the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). Their positions derive from the IRCG\u2019s financial and lobbying powers. Iran\u2019s military institutions indirectly impact football. A group of the IRGC\u2019s paramilitary Basij members attacked Saudi Arabia\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":51528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[178],"class_list":{"0":"post-24901","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-iran-a-world","8":"tag-save"},"yoast_head":"\n