Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Iran bans election protest footballers

Last week, a number Iranina footballers (soccer players for the Americans out there) played their World Cup qualifying match against South Korea with green wristbands on. The color is linked to Iranian Presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. In light of the protests that have been going on in Iran (I suggest Gateway Pundit's coverage), that fact that the Iranian regime "retired" the players is not surprising. My only hope is that the "retiring" means that the players will no longer be on the national team squad (which failed to qualify for next year's World Cup) and not a definition of retire that should be read as "dead."

Given the harsh reaction by the Irani regime, retired=dead is not out of the realm of possibility. Of course, such retirements wouldn't happen immediately, due to the publicity. But the "retirements" could happen later when there is not as much press.

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