Sand Box: FIFA’s Iran policy is both political and unsporting
by Baran Taghvaei My parents and I went to the Sunday, June 21 World Cup group-stage match at Los Angeles Stadium between Iran and Belgium. Yet for me, a 16-year-old Iranian immigrant, what was happening off the field was just as culturally significant as what was happening on the field Many Iranians arrived wearing the red, white, and green colors of the Iranian flag, reflective of Persian spirit. They were admitted to the stadium. Others carried the red, white and green Lion and Sun flag, which was the official flag of Iran before the 1979 revolution, when the Islamic Republic came into power. People with the Lion and Sun flag were not admitted to the stadium. FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) contends the Lion and Sun flag violates its prohibition on “banners, flags, fliers and apparel that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature.” But for me, and many other Persians, the Lion and Sun Flag does not represent the monarchy. It predates the monarchy and represents 2,500 years of rich Persian culture. The lion symbolizes strength and courage; the rising sun symbolizes life. FIFA’s position, as stated multiple times, is that the World Cup…
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