World Cup qualifying: Iran needed to beat South Korea to qualify for SA 2010. The political dimension of the game, however, made it, shall we say, a political football...
Eight Iranian players wore green wristbands and the captain, Ali Karimi, wore a green armband, showing support for the embattled Mir Hossein Mousavi. The game was broadcast live on Iranian state television.
The team tied South Korea 1-1, which means they have to wait and see what happens with the Saudi Arabia - North Korea match up.
The players wore their green wrist and armbands in the first half, but came out in the second half without them. They lost the second half.
Follow the green revolution here, here and here>>
>> SoccerBlog.com EXCLUSIVE: Step into Messi's Shoes!
Eight Iranian players wore green wristbands and the captain, Ali Karimi, wore a green armband, showing support for the embattled Mir Hossein Mousavi. The game was broadcast live on Iranian state television.
The team tied South Korea 1-1, which means they have to wait and see what happens with the Saudi Arabia - North Korea match up.
The players wore their green wrist and armbands in the first half, but came out in the second half without them. They lost the second half.
Follow the green revolution here, here and here>>
>> SoccerBlog.com EXCLUSIVE: Step into Messi's Shoes!
A post-script from yesterday's brave action by Iranian soccer members, who sported green armbands in solidarity before being asked to remove them for the second half. That is, except for the team captain, Mehdi Mahdavikia, who "kept his band on even during the second half."
With such turmoil going on in the streets at home and so much talk of the brink of revolution, a soccer game never seemed so frivolous. With that said, the Iranian team and fans displayed a descent amount of bravery, but this showing is significantly squelched by the demonstrations and rallies taking places in the streets of Iran.