Iran's Mehdi Mahdavikia (L), wearing a green wrist band (AFP Photo / Jung Yeon-Je)
Iranian football stars banned for supporting opposition
Published 24 June, 2009, 15:28
Four Iranian footballers who protested against the reelection of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s president have been banned indefinitely from playing for the country’s national team, Israeli Haaretz newspaper reports.
During a World Cup qualifier against South Korea on June 20, six Iranian players appeared on the pitch wearing green armbands, showing their support for Ahmadinejad's main challenger Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
In the halftime break they were asked to take the bands off, but not all the players agreed to do so.
Iran’s biggest stars, well known outside the country, are among those banned. 32-year-old Mehdi Mahdavikia, who plays for German side Eintracht Frankfurt, used to be the national team’s captain. 31-year-old Ali Karimi, often called the ‘Asian Maradona’, spent two years playing for European football giants Bayern Munich. 32-year-old Vahid Hashemian also made his name playing in Germany. And another player punished is young talent Hossein Kaebi, who is 24 years old.
The Guardian newspaper reports the four players are also forbidden to talk to the media. The decision on the other two protesters has not yet been revealed.
Violent protests followed the Iranian presidential election on June 12. Ahmadinejad was announced the winner, but the opposition demanded a recount, claiming the voting was rigged. The authorities admitted some violations, but, nevertheless, left the ultimate result the same.
The Iranian football team showed a weak performance in their World Cup qualifiers. They finished fourth in the group and missed a chance to travel to South Africa in 2010.
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