Iran hosts a friendly match against Russia

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A football match cannot be more political. In Tehran, Iran and Russia meet in the shadow of two humanitarian disasters.

Since the beginning of the offensive war against Ukraine, the Russian national team has been banned from all UEFA and FIFA events. However, the two unions cannot ban test matches.

Hardly anyone wants to test against Russia

Good opponents have been scarce for the Sbornaja in recent years. Much of the world community has shown solidarity with Ukraine – hardly any country was willing to play a friendly match. Prior to the duel with World Cup participant Iran, the Russian national team tested against Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

A planned test match against Bosnia-Herzegovina was canceled after Bosnian star players Miralem Pjanic (32) and Edin Dzeko (37) resisted.

Iran was Russia’s first serious sporting opponent since the start of the war in February 2022. That’s not surprising given the proximity of the two authoritarian regimes. In the wake of Western sanctions, Moscow and Tehran have expanded their relations even further.

Women are allowed to play

The stadium in Tehran, which can accommodate 80,000 spectators, was rather sparsely filled at 1-1. According to the Russian news agency Tass, some 500 Russian fans were present. In addition, women were allowed to compete again for the first time in over a year. Several hundred are said to have made a pilgrimage to the stadium. The last time women in Iran were allowed to do this was over a year ago.

Previously, women were banned from visiting the stadium for 40 years. Under pressure from FIFA, this ban was relaxed somewhat. The conservative government believes that women have no place in a stadium full of fanatical men. As the country is gripped by a wave of protests against the authoritarian government, women are allowed into a half-empty football stadium. A PR stunt that doesn’t work.

In turn, the Russians have found an opponent who is quite modest in sport: they will test against Iraq on Sunday. (dti)

Source : Blick