Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, June 16, 2018
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| "Persian Cheetahs Campaign for Victory" |
Amid the 2018 World Cup being held in Russia, the issue of discrimination against minority groups in Iranian football, including non-Persian communities, has come to the forefront again.
Social media users in Iranian Azerbaijan are primarily protesting the presentation of the Iranian national team in newspapers as the “Persian Cheetahs.”
Turkish activists interpret the use of the term “Persian” for a team that includes players from various ethnic communities as an attempt to erase Turks and other non-Persians.
On June 14, the official publication of the Islamic Republic of Iran, "Iran" newspaper, published an article on its front page with the headline: “Persian Cheetahs Lying in Wait for Victory.”
In previous years, the Iranian national team, which also competed in World Cups and the Asian Cup, was referred to with nicknames such as “Persian Stars,” “Persian Princes,” “Pride of Persia,” and “Persian Cheetahs,” which has caused backlash among non-Persian communities.
Furthermore, in recent days, several members of parliament from the West Azerbaijan province have raised the issue of discrimination against the Tractor Sazi club in the Iranian Parliament.
MPs from Khoy and Urmia, Taghi Kabiri and Nader Qazipur, have protested the excessive use of state resources by Tehran-based clubs such as Esteghlal and Persepolis, while clubs like Tractor Sazi do not receive sufficient support.
Turkish and Arab activists also protest the racist chants directed at Turks and Arabs in Iranian stadiums.
In a report released in June 2017, the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network, under the auspices of the UEFA and FIFA, highlighted racist chants by Iranian fans against Turks in stadiums.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
İranda türklər futbolda ayrı-seçkiliyə etiraz edir