Ban on Football Commentary by Adel Ferdowsipour: Legal Action or Revenge?

The news regarding the ban on live football commentary by Adel Ferdowsipour has sparked various reactions on social media, with many users perceiving it as a form of revenge against Ferdowsipour and his popularity among sports media audiences. This news was initially announced by Mohammad Javad Shakouri-Moqaddam, the owner and CEO of Aparat, Filimo, and the Saba Idea holding, through a tweet on X about the prohibition of live football commentary by Ferdowsipour, which quickly spread across social media. Shakouri-Moqaddam shared a voice message from someone claiming to be associated with SATRA, the organization regulating audio and visual media in Iran, stating: "It doesn't matter what the content is; according to SATRA and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), anything that is viewed is banned! They just contacted us from SATRA that Ferdowsipour's commentary is also banned!" The CEO's remark about the irrelevance of content refers to another prohibition issued a day earlier by SATRA to this platform. The Aparat website, launched in 2010 as an Iranian alternative to YouTube, has always operated within the framework of Islamic Republic laws. On December 7, it received a letter from SATRA imposing restrictions on the airing of the program "Now" hosted by Soroush Sahat. The ban on airing this program on the Filimo platform was justified by emphasizing the principle of intellectual property of the IRIB program "Ketab Baz" and mentioning this program by guests in the new "Now" series. According to Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the IRGC, SATRA cited the lack of a license for broadcasting international football matches and objections from other domestic platforms as reasons for banning Ferdowsipour's football commentary on Aparat Sport. SATRA emphasized that the issuance of licenses and supervision over live broadcasts on the internet is under the jurisdiction of IRIB. According to a resolution by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and Article 4 of the single article determining the requirements for organizing the audio and visual media sector, the production and live broadcasting of programs, as well as the issuance of licenses and live broadcasting in cyberspace, are under the authority of IRIB. A phone call from a SATRA employee regarding the ban on broadcasting the Liverpool-Real Madrid football commentary by the CEO of Aparat was interpreted as a ban on Ferdowsipour's voice. Meanwhile, Ferdowsipour returned to the Iranian media scene in Fall 2022 after three and a half years away from commentary and program production, hosting a program and conducting interviews, and then providing football commentary on the Football 360 website. Ferdowsipour's reports and interviews with popular figures like Ali Daei, Karim Bagheri, and Voria Ghafouri on the website and the Football 360 social network are among the most viewed products of platforms that have received licenses and extensive broadcasting rights from the Iranian media regulation organization. A day before the announcement of the ban on international football commentary from the Aparat Sport platform, the head of IRIB, Peyman Jabali, informed a journalist from Ham Mihan about discussions with Ferdowsipour and a proposal for his return to work at IRIB. Ferdowsipour also confirmed in an interview on the Football 360 website that he had received a proposal to return to IRIB. Interestingly, Saman Morad Hosseini, the head of the Islamic Republic's Audio and Visual Media Assembly (Rasta), also reacted to Shakouri-Moqaddam's tweet regarding IRIB's opposition to popular products without considering content, pointing out the profitability of products like "Zakhm Kari," "Joker," and "Gol Ya Pooch," emphasizing the importance of content and the necessity of obtaining a live broadcasting license from IRIB. Criticism of platforms benefiting from privileges in broadcasting internet images, such as Aparat, Antenna, Filimo, etc., has always been raised in light of these media's alignment with the Islamic Republic. This is especially true regarding their visual coverage during the nationwide protests of 2021, the removal of artists and athletes aligned with the public, the censorship of images of regime opponents, and their assistance in disseminating news favored by IRGC-affiliated news agencies. Although Shakouri-Moqaddam has had disagreements with some IRIB officials in the past, he has continued his activities with the support of some IRGC factions and proximity to regime officials, consistently obtaining exclusive licenses. The context of Ferdowsipour's commentary on the hard winter in Europe, his remarks to Sharif University students about their unity being encouraging, and the ongoing efforts for his return to the media spotlight with significant public support are noteworthy. The political approach of Ferdowsipour has been a topic of debate, with some claiming it was not in service to the regime. The media's attempts to create a legal confrontation with Ferdowsipour and his calls for the unconditional release of imprisoned students have also drawn attention, as has the reaction of Twitter users to the migration of sports commentator Mazdak Mirzaei from Channel 3. The recent removal of the show "Barande Bash" from IRIB following Khamenei's warning and the criticism of a documentary about Mohammad Reza Shajarian by social media users highlight the ongoing tensions between the government and media figures.