The 'Curse' and 'Magic' in Iranian Football Make Headlines Again

The use of 'curse' and 'magic' in Iranian football has made headlines once again. During the first division football competitions in Iran, officials from Gol Gohar Sirjan received a yellow liquid from behind the goal and sprinkled it around the goal area. The groundskeeper of Imam Ali Stadium in Sirjan stated in an interview with Tasnim News Agency that this action was taken to dispel the curse of the opposing team by pouring urine into their goal. The website Varzesh 3 reported: 'The ball crossed the goal line, but after accepting the goal, the referee rejected it again after consulting with the assistant referee, which those resorting to magic likely attribute to the effects of the liquid used.' Pejman Rahbar, the editor-in-chief of this site, published a picture of the mentioned moment on Twitter and wrote: 'Urine of a minor child for cursing and gaining points.' Javad Nekounam, the head coach of Khoneh Be Khoneh Babol and the record holder for national games in the history of Iranian football, said: 'We have documented evidence and are ready to present it to decision-making authorities. Woe to Iranian football if a team wants to defeat opponents using such tools.' Ali Goyini, an official from Imam Ali Stadium in Sirjan, told Tasnim that since the ball collector of the opposing team sprinkled white powder on their goal line, they decided to use urine to dispel the curse. Mr. Goyini explained his action: 'Gol Gohar Sirjan hit the goalpost twice, and I was convinced that the ball collectors were correct. After that, we decided to pour urine to nullify their curse.' Prior to these statements, the executive director of Gol Gohar denied the incidents, stating: 'If we practiced sorcery, then why did we hit the goalpost several times and miss several one-on-one chances?' The Iranian Football Federation, the disciplinary committee, or the ethics committee have not yet reacted to the events in Sirjan. The caretaker of Khoneh Be Khoneh Babol emphasized: 'We will file a complaint with the ethics committee. I hope they address the players' appearance and the issue of hookah, as well as magic, so that the reputation of Iranian football does not diminish further in international circles.' The person who sprinkled urine around the goal also assaulted a journalist from Sirjan during the same match. According to Varzesh 3, Amin Shoul, a journalist from Sirjan, stated that he was asked to refrain from asking critical questions in the coach's press conference, and since he did not comply, he faced 'assault and battery' and is therefore filing a complaint with the Sirjan prosecutor's office.