Physical Clash and Tear Gas in Iranian Basketball League

In the sixth week of the Iranian Professional Basketball League, unprecedented controversies occurred, including three game stoppages, physical altercations, the throwing of firecrackers and smoke materials, the use of tear gas, and ultimately the arrest of two coaches. Video footage of the incidents from Thursday evening has been shared on social media. The match between Shahrdari Gorgan and Mahram Tehran was halted in the second quarter due to smoke materials thrown by spectators and then the use of tear gas in the hall. This happened while Mahram was leading against their guests. A foreign player from Shahrdari Gorgan got into a scuffle with Mahram players. Subsequently, spectators associated with Shahrdari threw explosive materials into the hall, landing near Mahram player Farid Aslani. Aslani fell to the ground. Amidst the tense atmosphere, the audience's insults directed at this player's family could even be heard from the 'Shoma' network, which was broadcasting the game. He got up and exited the court area. But this was just the beginning of the incident. Fars News reported that the 'use of tear gas' in the hall caused the referees to stop the game. In these moments, players were seen running towards the locker room, covering their faces and coughing heavily. The game was in favor of Mahram until the middle of the third quarter and resumed after a 15-minute break. The first half ended with Mahram leading 50 to 27. Shahrdari Gorgan managed to reduce the gap in the third quarter. Player altercations, protests against refereeing, and audience insults continued. In the fourth quarter, Shahrdari players even narrowed the gap to five points. With 13 seconds left in the game, the throwing of objects onto the court caused the game to be stopped for the third time. Ultimately, Mahram emerged victorious, but the turmoil did not end, and among the unprecedented incidents of this game was the arrest of Mostafa Hashemi, a former national team star and Mahram's head coach. He and another Mahram coach were arrested by the police after the game on charges of 'insulting and physically confronting law enforcement officers' and were taken to the police station. The police, who were unable to maintain order in the small hall during the game, arrested Mahram's head coach as a complainant. Images of Hashemi being taken to a police car were published by news agencies. Fars News reported: 'Hashemi angrily approached the referee's table after each whistle and protested strongly.' However, intervening in such matters is not within the duties of the police, and the disciplinary committee of the basketball federation should be the decision-maker. Members of the technical staff of Shahrdari Gorgan believed that Mahram's head coach was creating an atmosphere in favor of his team, and his reactions caused the tension on the court to transfer to the stands. During the game, Kaveh Noorafza protested to the referees, claiming that Oshiin Sahakian, a national player from Mahram, had insulted him, although footage showed both players were engaged in a verbal altercation. This incident also led to a several-minute stoppage of the game. While the game was stopped, the police stationed some of their forces at the sidelines. At that moment, one of the police officers confronted Mostafa Hashemi, leading to a physical confrontation between them. This altercation further disrupted the atmosphere of the hall and intensified the audience's protests. The match between Azad University and Haft Almas Qazvin was also controversial. The players of Haft Almas left the court in protest against the refereeing at moments during the game. The Qazvin team, which arrived in Tehran with an incomplete lineup, lost seven of its players due to the five fouls rule, allowing them to continue the match with only three players, resulting in a heavy defeat of 92 to 40! In another match, the two Khuzestani teams, Naft Abadan and Sanaye Mahshahr faced each other, with this close match ending in a 94 to 93 victory for Sanaye. In this game as well, the Naft players repeatedly protested to the referees, attributing their loss to refereeing errors.