Iran ‘condemns’ two club players for facing Maccabi Tel Aviv in Europa League play off

August 7 – In another depressing illustration of how political ideology infiltrates football, Iran’s FA has denounced two Iranians contracted to a Greek side for competing against an Israeli team.

The federation said it “strongly condemns” Masoud Shojaei and Ehsan Haj Safi for playing for Panionios in the Europa League against Maccabi Tel Aviv last month.

“The Football Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran censures their participation in the second-leg match (against Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv) and all aspects of the issue are under investigation,” the FFIRI said in a statement.

Quite what that means is open to question since it was a European club fixture and nothing to do with the national team despite the fact that Iran does not recognise Israel and supports groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas that call for the Jewish state’s destruction.

Iran’s Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, in a separate and highly provocative statement, said support “for the long-trodden Palestinian nation, Palestinian cause and anti-Zionism front have been among the principled policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the ministry does not recognize the “illegitimate” regime of Israel at all.”

The ministry added that it will take “proper punitive measures” against Shojaei and Haji Safi “once all relevant and useful information has been gathered”.

The semi-official Fars news agency said both players, who had refrained from playing in Tel Aviv in the first leg – described by the Iranians as being “in the occupied Palestinian lands” – could now be banned from the national team.

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