LONDON: Tehran’s sports minister has accused the UK of plotting to organize the mass defection of Iran’s football team during the FIFA World Cup in November last year.
Hamid Sajjadi, Iranian minister of sport and youth, told the country’s Parliament that Britain had attempted the “height of sedition” in planning for Iran’s football stars to abandon matches during the group stage.
Iranian authorities successfully foiled the plot, he claimed.
His comments came amid growing controversy over the Tehran regime’s treatment of top Iranian athletes, with accusations leveled against members of the national football team over their purported support for nationwide anti-government protests.
As protests enter their fifth month around Iran, paranoia and fears of the growing demonstration movement has led to authorities taking harsh measures against high-profile Iranians showing support for the movement, including athletes, celebrities, and public figures.
Ali Karimi, a former captain of the national football team, fled Iran after expressing support for protesters on social media. His properties and assets were also seized by authorities following a court order.
Manager Ali Daei, one of the most prominent Iranian footballers of all time, was banned from leaving the country.
Sajjadi’s comments aimed at staving off an attempt to censure the Sports Ministry over the failure of the football team to move beyond the group stage at the World Cup.
However, MPs voted in favor of the censure, condemning Sajjadi for permitting overseas-based players in Iran’s football leagues and overseeing a surge in coaching salaries.
