Reopening of the Green Wristbands Case of National Team Players in State TV

The documentary network of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Radio and Television has accused the players of the Iranian national football team of 'not striving for victory' in their last match of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. On June 17, 2009, five days after the controversial presidential elections, the Iranian national football team faced South Korea in Seoul to qualify for the World Cup. In a film titled 'Football Against the Enemy,' images of street protests against the 2009 election results were shown alongside footage of national team players wearing green wristbands, criticizing the performance of the Iranian national football team. In that match, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Ali Karimi, Masoud Shojaei, Javad Nekounam, Mohammad Nasrati, and Hossein Kabi played with green wristbands. The Iranian television, caught off guard, began censoring close-up shots a few minutes into the game. Whenever the camera followed one of these six players, repeated images of Korean spectators were broadcast instead. In the second half, the wristbands were removed, and at the end of the match, Mansour Pourheidari, the team manager, stated: 'The players wore the green wristbands as a vow to Hazrat Abolfazl.' The voiceover in the film 'Football Against the Enemy' stated: 'It seems the players are not playing for a team. It seems no one intends to win.' The result of this match was repeatedly referred to as a 'defeat,' even though the game ended in a 1-1 draw in both Tehran and Seoul. In the Seoul match, Nasrati provided the assist, and Shojaei scored the goal. Two players accused of having no intention to win due to their green wristbands were Ali Karimi and Mehdi Mahdavikia. After the match, Karimi mentioned his bitter farewell from the national team, saying: 'I ended my last national game with bitterness. I really wanted to leave it behind with a victory, but fate had other plans.' Mahdavikia also stated: 'I have always believed in youthfulness and had said long ago that if the national team did not qualify for the World Cup, I would retire after the qualifiers.' At that time, the state newspaper claimed that a member of the Participation Front had encouraged the national team players to wear the wristbands by paying them. The report stated, 'Some reliable sources reported that a member of the central council of the Participation Front and an active lobbyist in sports backstage had requested the players to wear green wristbands for a fee.' However, the newspaper did not mention the identity of these reliable sources or the member of the Participation Front. During that period, media outlets reported on the possibility of the Iranian Football Federation taking action against the mentioned players, after which FIFA requested clarification on the published news. AFP reported that FIFA had sent a letter to Iran seeking more detailed information regarding the matter. A FIFA spokesperson told the agency: 'We have written to the Iranian Federation asking for clear explanations about the events that occurred for some players after the match with South Korea.' The Iranian Football Federation responded to FIFA, emphasizing that the news of sanctions against the national players was not true and that no penalties had been imposed on the national team players. Nevertheless, in this response, FIFA was asked to clarify its position and decision if the players' act of wearing wristbands violated Article 6 of FIFA's ethical codes. Meanwhile, officials from the federation and the national team stated that wearing the wristbands was related to the players' religious beliefs and had no political aspect. The president of the Iranian Football Federation, who reacted to FIFA's letter with two completely different positions, stated in an interview with ISNA: 'We responded to FIFA that the news of their sanctions is not true. We also asked what penalty we should impose if it became clear to us that the players' actions were politically motivated.' Kaffashian emphasized: 'We reserve the right to take action against the players if we are certain that they wore the wristbands for political reasons.' In response to the question of how it was possible for Pourheidari and Mahdi Taj to say it was due to religious beliefs, but in the letter to FIFA, the players' actions were read differently, he said: 'I don't care what others said; can a vow be just for one half?' Pourheidari stated: 'The national team players wore the wristbands with the intention of a vow to Hazrat Abolfazl to achieve victory, which they removed at halftime upon realizing it might be misused.' In response to the Iranian Football Federation's inquiries, Mahdavikia issued a statement saying: 'The investigation of violations is solely the responsibility of the World Federation, not any individual or organization.' The then-captain of the Iranian national team addressed those who called the players traitors, saying: 'What audacity do you have to judge like this? I recommend that you think about honor and conscience when you lay your head down at night.' Mahdavikia added: 'Whatever our record is, it is clear. I ask you to provide your name and record so that we can add to our patriotism by flipping through your golden record of patriotism; the people will judge well between us traitors and you patriots.' He reminded in his letter published by Khabar Online: 'The national team players have always tried to be worthy representatives of their people. In this period, our team had the least violations, and as captain, I thank and defend each player.' Meanwhile, FIFA wrote in an email to the Iranian Football Federation: 'We received the match report, but there was no mention of the wristbands in this report. This means that no decision will be made regarding this.'