The city derby in Tehran between Esteghlal and Persepolis (2:2) usually takes place in front of 100,000 fans. In the midst of the system-critical protests, the arch-rivals played in the Asadi Stadium on Tuesday in front of empty ranks. Officially because of the massive air pollution. However, experts saw behind the decision concerns of the political leadership that the fans could shout protest slogans in the game broadcast live on state television.
The city derbies between the “Blues” (Esteghlal) and “Reds” (Persepolis) are the sporting highlight in Iran. The Asadi Stadium in Tehran is completely sold out with almost 100,000 fans every time, millions of fans follow the game on television. The protests against the Islamic Republic, which have been going on for three months, have overshadowed football in Iran, as they did during the World Cup.
Many well-known professionals and former footballers have shown solidarity with the opponents of the system. Among them are the former German legionnaires Mehdi Mahdavikia, Ali Karimi and Ali Daei. Persepolis coach Jahja Golmohammadi believes football has become a side issue in the current climate. Therefore, the former national player is also on the black list of the football association – he even faces a ban on working.