February 2, 2025 - Omid Shamizi / Anadolu Agency
The tense match between the teams of Persepolis and Tractor in the 17th week of Iran's Premier League was accompanied by numerous controversies and tensions. Even a week after the game, the fallout continues.
Iranian Azerbaijani Turks, especially, have protested the "racist" chants directed at them during the match. The management of Tractor has threatened to escalate the issue to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA if the relevant domestic bodies and the Iran Football Federation fail to address the matter.
Sina Yousefi, a prominent Iranian lawyer, spoke to Anadolu's correspondent, discussing the history of ethnic and racial insults in Iran and how they have spread to football stadiums. He explained: "In 2019, five Persepolis fans were sentenced to prison due to racist insults following a complaint from a group of Azerbaijani lawyers, but these actions seem insufficient, and the issue is deeply rooted."
Yousefi further discussed the laws related to combating racism and ethnic, racial, and religious insults in Iran and international sports organizations:
"The issue of racism in Iran has a historical background and is present in all areas, and this has caused it to spill over into the stadiums. We have seen racist behaviors in stadiums in recent years. This is not exclusive to Tehran or a specific city; similar incidents occur in different cities across Iran. In the past, Azerbaijani lawyers filed a complaint, which resulted in criminal convictions for five Persepolis fans in 2019. However, these actions have not been enough, and the problem is very deep-rooted."
This lawyer also referred to specific legal provisions related to racism and ethnic insults in Iranian domestic laws, explaining: "In terms of how such issues should be pursued and what Iranian laws say about them, there is a two-article law passed in 1975 addressing racial discrimination. Unfortunately, this law was not used until 2019 when a group of Azerbaijani lawyers filed a complaint. At that point, it was applied, and Persepolis fans were sentenced to 12 months in prison."
Yousefi continued, "In 2020, another law was passed that set heavier punishments for insulting divine religions, Islamic sects, and ethnic groups living in Iran. This law is part of Article 499 of the Islamic Penal Code, under the category of security crimes. However, it has not yet been used. This law primarily concerns the spread of racist ideas in cyberspace and public spaces, but issues raised in stadiums can also be addressed under this law."
He also pointed out that Iran is a signatory to the "International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination" and stated, "Iran became a member of this convention in 1968 and has committed to combating racial discrimination and racism. Additionally, on the international stage, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has placed great emphasis on this issue and implemented strict laws since 2019."
According to these strict regulations, especially Article 13, a football team whose supporters engage in racist behavior can be penalized by losing points, being excluded from competitions, or even relegated to a lower division. These regulations have also been incorporated into the disciplinary regulations of the Iran Football Federation, which Iran accepted in 2018.
Yousefi also discussed the potential process of referring the case to international bodies if domestic authorities fail to address it: "If these crimes are not addressed within Iran under Article 67, which includes penalties like point deductions and relegation, as the legal management of Tractor Club has announced, the right to pursue this matter in international football organizations belongs to the fans and even ordinary citizens who have been harmed by this behavior, as well as Tractor Club."
The link to the original article in Farsi on Anadolu Agency:
شعارهای نژادپرستانه در ورزشگاههای ایران؛ تراکتور: به فیفا شکایت میکنیم