Nike: We Will Not Provide Shoes to Iran's National Team Due to Sanctions

The American company Nike, a sports equipment manufacturer, officially confirmed on Monday, June 11, that due to U.S. sanctions, it cannot supply shoes to members of Iran's national football team. According to a statement from Nike, 'the company is prohibited from supplying its sports equipment to Iranian teams.' The statement emphasized that 'these prohibitions have existed for years and can be enforced under the law.' According to a report from ESPN, as Iran's national football team prepares for its first match against Morocco in the World Cup on Friday, it is facing issues with the prohibition of Nike products for its players. Five days prior, Carlos Queiroz, the Portuguese head coach of Iran's national team, criticized Nike's refusal to deliver sports shoes to the team due to U.S. sanctions and called on FIFA to address the issue. Reports indicate that Nike has canceled its contract with Saman Ghoddos, an Iranian-Swedish player who plays for Östersunds FK in Sweden's Allsvenskan and had a contract with Nike for his shoes. Typically, football teams' contracts with sports equipment manufacturers include the provision of team uniforms, while shoe procurement is the players' responsibility. Previously, the website 'Varzesh3' reported that Nike's prohibitions only pertain to sponsorship contracts and the provision of necessary equipment for players, and do not include the use of Nike shoes by Iranian national team players. However, ESPN's reporter from Moscow noted that Iranian players are either looking to buy their required shoes from stores or borrowing football shoes from their non-Iranian teammates. Interestingly, during the last World Cup in Brazil in 2014, Nike had no issues supplying shoes to Iranian players despite similar sanctions. The sponsorship contract for Iran's national football team uniforms with the German company Adidas has also faced many controversies during this World Cup. Typically, major sports equipment manufacturers, including Nike, Adidas, and Puma, seek to persuade teams to sign contracts and use their products during competitions like the World Cup, viewing these events as showcases for their products and advertising. However, due to issues arising from sanctions, problems with importing sportswear to Iran, and the lack of enforcement of copyright laws in Iran, the process of signing and executing contracts between sports equipment manufacturers and the Iranian Football Federation has faced challenges. Adidas has stated that according to its contract with the Iranian Football Federation, fans can only obtain Iran's national football team jerseys through the federation, and Adidas has no obligation to supply or sell the national team's uniforms in its official and online stores. The German company Allesport provided uniforms for Iran's national football team in the previous World Cup. Iran's national football team is participating in the 2018 World Cup in Russia for the fifth time. Iran is grouped with Spain, Portugal, and Morocco in Group B of the tournament. Using reports from AFP and ESPN.