ALI KARIMI
From SPORTSbyBROOKS via UK Guardian
Iran has “retired” four players off their World Cup soccer team by suspending them for life. The action was taken against four players who wore green armbands as a sign of political support for defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi during Iran’s World Cup qualifying match in Seoul, South Korea.
The Iranian government cracked down on the players since green is the official color of Mousavi’s campaign. The suspended players include Ali Karimi, one of Iran’s best-known players who plays professional soccer in Germany. Also suspended was Mehdi Mahdavikia, the only player who continued to wear the green armbands for the entire match in defiance of the government.
Tags: Iranian soccer team, World Cup
October 31, 2009 at 9:50 pm |
It just goes to prove that football and politics are strange bad fellows.