Skip to main content

Iran condemns two soccer players for match against Israeli team


The Football Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) has strongly condemned Iranian professional footballers Masoud Shojaei and Ehsan Haji Safi, who play for the Greek association football club Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis, commonly known as Panionios GSS FC, for participating in a match against an Israeli team. 
“Despite numerous negotiations with the two soccer players and all the pressure that the Greek club had placed on them, the pair refused to appear in the first-leg match held in the occupied Palestinian lands.
“Nevertheless, the Football Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran censures their participation in last night’s second-leg match (against Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv), and all aspects of the issue are under investigation,” the FFIRI said in a statement released on Friday.
Iran’s Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, in a separate statement, also announced that support for the long-trodden Palestinian nation, Palestinian cause and anti-Zionism front have been among the principled policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the ministry does not recognize the “illegitimate” regime of Israel at all.
The ministry added that it will take proper punitive measures against Shojaei and Haji Safi once all relevant and useful information has been gathered, stressing that the measures will fall within the framework of the principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Panionios GSS FC 1-0 in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)      Europa League match at the Stadio Néas Smírnis stadium in the Greek capital city of Athens on Thursday evening.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has slammed Israel as the “main threat” to the Muslim world, warning that the regime is trying to Judaize the occupied Palestinian lands.
On August 1, he called on Muslim and regional countries to be vigilant and prevent Israel from distracting the Islamic world’s attention from the “main threat” facing the region.
Israel continues its policy of occupation through efforts “to change the identity and the status of the occupied territories and Judaize these areas,” Zarif added.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

38 dead, 92,000 left homeless by Niger floods

Recent heavy floods in Niger have killed more than three dozen people and left tens of thousands of others homeless, a United Nations (UN) report says. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report on Wednesday that, since June, at least 38 people had lost their lives and more than 92,000 had been made homeless as a result of torrential rains and heavy downpours in the West African country. The Nigerien government had put the number of fatalities at 14 before new flooding in August. The OCHA, citing government figures, also noted that more than 9,000 homes had been destroyed and more than 26,000 heads of livestock lost. Over 50,000 people had received aid from NGOs and many of the homeless had been sheltering in schools and public buildings, it added. The Nigerien National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) issued a warning last month, advising residents along the Niger River to evacuate immediately to safer ground over the likelihood of...
Post a Comment
Read more

Iran crushes Tajikistan for 2nd successive win at CAFA U-19 Women’s Cup

The Iranian national under-19 soccer team has notched an emphatic win over Tajikistan at the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) U-19 Women’s Cup in Uzbekistan to maintain its unbeaten run at the regional sports event. On Sunday, the Iranian sportswomen, who had opened the tournament with a 4-1 triumph over Kyrgyzstan the previous day, crushed their Central Asian opponents 6-0 in their second fixture in the Uzbek capital city of Tashkent. Afsaneh Chatrenour put the Iranian team on the scoreboard in the 9th minute, before Elham Annafcheh doubled her side’s lead six minutes later. Fatemeh Qassemi scored a brace within few seconds in the 23rd and 24th minute, followed by an extra goal by Chatrenour in the 27th minute. Finally, Ghazaleh Salehipour ran the ball into the end zone more than a quarter after the hour mark, and hit a fine kick to score the Iranian team’s sixth goal. Iran women's national under-19 soccer team is scheduled t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pakistan police arrest 1,500 supporters of Imran Khan

Pakistani police have arrested at least 1,500 supporters of opposition leader Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party ahead of a massive rally planned later this week in the capital Islamabad. Security sources said on Monday that the number of those arrested overnight during a nationwide crackdown against PTI supporters ranges between 1,500 and 1,800. Zaeem Qadri, a government spokesman said police conducted raids based on information and tips about planned violence. Qadri also added that those who pledge not to take part in violent actions are released. The official however noted that while those considered a threat remain in custody pending charges. Meanwhile, police firing tear gas,clashed Monday with thousands of stick-wielding party workers travelling from northwest Pakistan towards Islamabad. The fierce clashes took place on the Peshawar-Islamabad motorway, more than 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the capital, as nearly 5,000 PTI supporters tried ...
Post a Comment
Read more