Hezbollah Group Protests Against Iran-South Korea Football Match

In response to the principlists' reactions to the football match between Iran and South Korea on Tasu'a, a group known as 'Hezbollah' gathered on Friday in Palestine Square. The Tehran Friday prayer leader also urged spectators to chant 'Ya Hussein' instead of clapping. According to ILNA news agency, 'about 40 to 50' protesters gathered after the Friday prayer on October 6 in Palestine Square. ILNA reported the presence of Hossein Allah-Karam at this gathering, identifying him as a member of the 'Ansar Hezbollah' group, although Ansar Hezbollah has stated for years that Mr. Allah-Karam is not a member of this group. This former member of 'Ansar Hezbollah' established a group called 'Spiritual Renewal of Hezbollah' in recent years, and no new reports have emerged about his rejoining 'Ansar Hezbollah'. In this gathering, Hossein Allah-Karam read a statement expressing concern over the 'disrespect to Ashura' and called for the match to be rescheduled or canceled. According to Allah-Karam, this group proposed holding the match in another country or without spectators, but officials did not accept these suggestions. He urged the judiciary to take action against those who 'facilitated the decision to hold this match' and emphasized that if Ashura is disrespected, these officials should resign or be dismissed. The crucial match between Iran and South Korea in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers is set to take place on Ashura at Azadi Stadium in Tehran, a topic that has faced strong opposition from some principlist figures in Iran. Among them, 56 members of parliament and Mohammad Yazdi, head of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, have called for the match to be rescheduled or canceled. In contrast, Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, described this approach in a letter to Yazdi as 'indigestible' and 'reminiscent of the medieval church'. Mohammad Reza Saket, head of the National Teams Organization, announced that Iran had '10 different solutions' for rescheduling the match but did not receive FIFA's approval. Meanwhile, some principlist figures, noting the impossibility of changing the match time, have called for the match to be held under specific conditions, including holding mourning ceremonies at Azadi Stadium. According to ISNA news agency, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, the Tehran Friday prayer leader, stated that if a football match is to be held on the night of Ashura, the stadium atmosphere 'must be 100% Ashura and Karbala'. He urged football federation officials to 'dress Azadi Stadium in black' and for spectators to chant 'Ya Hussein' instead of clapping. Previously, the Islamic Coalition Party, a principlist party, requested punishment for those responsible for holding this match on Tasu'a and called for measures such as conducting mourning ceremonies in the stadium, 'highlighting religious rituals', 'prohibiting filming and displaying joyful reactions of spectators', and 'controlling stadium noise during moments of excitement or goals'.