Iranian Officials Threaten to Hold Matches Without Spectators in Stadiums

Following anti-government slogans raised during some football matches, the Minister of Interior announced the possibility of holding matches without spectators, and the commander of Tehran's police threatened that his force would deal seriously and decisively with "disturbers of peace in stadiums." Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, stated in an interview with Iran newspaper published on Tuesday, August 20, that due to the slogans from spectators in recent football matches, some games might be held without fans. Rahmani Fazli noted that the slogans chanted in some of these matches were "not related" to football. He threatened that if such incidents were to "repeat," the National Security Council might decide to hold "some matches without spectators." The Minister emphasized, "If we feel that groups are entering and disrupting order, we will make this decision." According to ILNA news agency, Hossein Rahimi, the head of Tehran's police, also stated on Tuesday that "offenders and those who intend to disturb the peace of the people in stadiums have been identified and will be dealt with." He also reported that an individual who had "brandished a knife" during the match between Naft Masjed Soleyman and Persepolis Tehran had been "identified." Rahimi did not provide details on what he referred to as "disturbing peace in stadiums." Islamic Republic officials also refer to protests and gatherings as "disturbing public order." Concurrent with protests in August and recent matches in Ahvaz, Isfahan, and Tehran, anti-government slogans were also chanted alongside fights among spectators. For instance, during the match between Tractor Sazi Tabriz and Esteghlal at Azadi Stadium on August 19, a group of spectators chanted slogans such as "Death to the Dictator," "This is the Zionist regime," and "Tank, bullet, fireworks, the clerics must go." Physical confrontations among fans outside the stadium also resulted in injuries to several fans, and some were arrested by special forces. Previously, a group of spectators at Azadi Stadium in Tehran had chanted "Death to the Dictator" while exiting the tunnels after the match between Persepolis and Foolad Khuzestan on August 12.