Team Melli should be banned

[OSTAD POOYA]

How many players have genuinely bailed on their international teams for political reasons

I can’t think of many across the world

even states with lesson freedom in the world like North Korea still get some disporas born and raised in Japan to come and play for their national team there were 2 j league 3 North Koreans that lined up against Iran in Laos

Sudan still after millions killed still get some British and American Sudanese in their team

Russia and Ukraine despite thousands killed in the meat grinder no one bailed their respective national teams

America killed millions all over the world in wars still no one has rejected an America call up due to their invasions of foreign countries

I again struggle to see any examples in the past from any nations that show people are really prepared to boycott their own nations and the chance to play at World Cups or international football purely on political basis

Leave N. Korea. That's irrelevant not comparable to Iran. Secondly all the examples you are listing are not internal. The Iranian issue is internal where the government killed the people. So trying to find precedent and some type of an excuse/justification based on that reason just does not make sense and is an easy way out. Any player with integrity and honor would not play for this team. Sure there will be other players with much less quality that may play. But the main ones should not play and be a part of the Islamic regimes propaganda machine.

[Super Shojaei]

Leave N. Korea. That's irrelevant not comparable to Iran. Secondly all the examples you are listing are not internal. The Iranian issue is internal where the government killed the people. So trying to find precedent and some type of an excuse/justification based on that reason just does not make sense and is an easy way out. Any player with integrity and honor would not play for this team. Sure there will be other players with much less quality that may play. But the main ones should not play and be a part of the Islamic regimes propaganda machine.

Why leave North Korea? It’s an appropriate example. God knows how many have starved to death under that regime but did that stop Japanese born and bread players like jong tae sae going to play for them? That guy had South Korean parents and chose still to represent North Korea because low and behold he got a starting spot at the World Cup and it got him a move to the bundasliga 2 he couldn’t give 2 fucks about dead North Koreans or anyone that suffered in the hands of the respective regime

and neither will our players . No one rejected team Melli call ups after Neda or Mahsa Amini
Same thing will happen this time round

Infact our league hasn’t even paused everything is carrying on and all the Iranian players are still playing . Only 30-40 percent of the foreigners like Ndong and Munir have bailed the rest have stayed and carried on as usual because they don’t give a f we had tractor v esteghal 2 days ago

Majority of sports people don’t give a f they will go about their job whether we like it or not

it’s better they show up to Cali with lion and sun flags and a pro monarchy crowd then for them to abandon team Melli

and if they reject call ups they will just be replaced by lesser pro ir players which again doesn’t really help anyone involved

[Nokhodi]

Those calling our players bisharaf are the same as those who called football taghooti and didn’t let us have a nationwide league until 1989. Insane theatrics and Iranian style justice warriors that do nothing but self harm. 40 years later they pretend they were never like that and act all intellectual.

Your issues are with khamenei and velayate faghih so you go after tm. Great plan guys.

[persian8iran]

I see constant debates attacking the players, with everyone expecting them to abandon the national team, while those same critics live comfortably in Canada or the United States and have never done anything to help change the regime. Look at the example of Syria. The national team was often the only reason people had a moment to escape their problems and find some joy. Players like Omar Khribin gave their best during the civil war and and now after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. He was always applauded and supported whenever he and the main Syrian players stepped onto the field.
I use Syria as an example because it is a completely divided country, with parts of its territory controlled by Kurds, terrorist groups, U.S. military forces, Turkish interests, radical movements, and severe religious persecution against Alawites and some Christians. And yet, when it came to football, there was never this kind of debate or pressure placed on the national team player...

[koorosh]

Syria:

• The "Free Syria" National Team: In 2013, defected players and coaches in Turkey and Lebanon formed an alternative national team. Coached by Marwan Mona (who fled after his club's stadium in Latakia was bombed), this team sought official recognition from FIFA to replace the "Assad team," playing in green jerseys (the color of the revolution) instead of the official red.
• The "Empty Stadium" Context
  The boycott extended beyond players to the facilities themselves. Many Syrian footballers refused to participate in the domestic league because stadiums—such as the Abbasid Stadium in Damascus—were being used by the military as bases for tanks and as temporary detention centers for protesters.

• Firas al-Khatib: Widely considered Syria’s greatest footballer, he boycotted the national team for five years (2012–2017). He famously stated he would not play as long as government forces were shelling his hometown of Homs.

• Omar Al-Somah: The star striker initially refused call-ups and was overlooked by the federation after he publicly displayed a "Revolutionary" flag during a match in Kuwait. Like al-Khatib, he eventually returned in 2017, a move that sparked intense debate among fans who felt he had "sold out" the revolution

• Abdul Baset al-Sarout: Once a goalkeeper for the Syrian youth national team and the club Al-Karama, he didn't just boycott; he became a leading figure of the uprising. Known as the "Singer of the Revolution," he transitioned from a footballer to a rebel commander and was killed in combat in 2019.
• Louay Chanko: A Swedish-Syrian international who opted out of the national team citing systemic corruption. He revealed in interviews that many players who stayed with the squad did so only out of fear, claiming the Syrian Football Federation (SFF) was a "political face" for the government rather than a sports body.
• Mosab Balhous: The legendary national team goalkeeper was arrested in 2011 for allegedly sheltering rebels. After a year in prison, he "re-joined" the team. Many analysts point to Balhous as an example of a "forced return," where athletes were pressured to represent the state to project an image of normalcy.

[koorosh]

How many players have genuinely bailed on their international teams for political reasons

I can’t think of many across the world

There is this thing called AI, and you can use it to find many many examples of athletes boycotting their own national teams....or screwed their own careers.

There was this guy named Muhammad Ali... You might have heard of him...refused the Vietnam draft and had to give up his belts and American career.

Look up South Africa...lots of examples of players boycotting NT in Rugby and other sports.

Russian Athletes boycotting their own federation after Ukrainian invasion...some play for other countries.

Afghanistan has a FIFA designated refugee womens soccer team.

Spanish Women's team members boycotted or threatened to boycott their NT a number of times, including finally 81 players who threatened to boycott their federation.

Bahrain Mass Withdrawals: In April 2011, six football clubs (mostly from Shia-majority areas) withdrew from the national league to protest the military’s use of violence against civilians. Over 150 athletes, coaches, and referees were suspended or jailed during this period for their political stances.

[Essi]

I have below zero interest watching TM in WC in this circumstances! And this is coming from a guy who followed TM religiously since 1987!!!

In the current situation with this team and players and this regime, same here.

[Nokhodi]

Syria:

• The "Free Syria" National Team: In 2013, defected players and coaches in Turkey and Lebanon formed an alternative national team. Coached by Marwan Mona (who fled after his club's stadium in Latakia was bombed), this team sought official recognition from FIFA to replace the "Assad team," playing in green jerseys (the color of the revolution) instead of the official red.
• The "Empty Stadium" Context
  The boycott extended beyond players to the facilities themselves. Many Syrian footballers refused to participate in the domestic league because stadiums—such as the Abbasid Stadium in Damascus—were being used by the military as bases for tanks and as temporary detention centers for protesters.

• Firas al-Khatib: Widely considered Syria’s greatest footballer, he boycotted the national team for five years (2012–2017). He famously stated he would not play as long as government forces were shelling his hometown of Homs.

• Omar Al-Somah: The star striker initially refused call-ups and was overlooked by the federation after he publicly displayed a "Revolutionary" flag during a match in Kuwait. Like al-Khatib, he eventually returned in 2017, a move that sparked intense debate among fans who felt he had "sold out" the revolution

• Abdul Baset al-Sarout: Once a goalkeeper for the Syrian youth national team and the club Al-Karama, he didn't just boycott; he became a leading figure of the uprising. Known as the "Singer of the Revolution," he transitioned from a footballer to a rebel commander and was killed in combat in 2019.
• Louay Chanko: A Swedish-Syrian international who opted out of the national team citing systemic corruption. He revealed in interviews that many players who stayed with the squad did so only out of fear, claiming the Syrian Football Federation (SFF) was a "political face" for the government rather than a sports body.
• Mosab Balhous: The legendary national team goalkeeper was arrested in 2011 for allegedly sheltering rebels. After a year in prison, he "re-joined" the team. Many analysts point to Balhous as an example of a "forced return," where athletes were pressured to represent the state to project an image of normalcy.

Syria, that's the best example? Most of these guys ended up back in Assad led Syria.
A few joined Daesh.
What good did it do?

[Pouya]

This is the same narrative maseh alinejad used when she convinced Iranians and the diaspora to turn their back on TM 3 years ago. Playing football in their job. It sucks innocent people are getting killed but it’s not the players fault.

if anyone feels TM should be banned or our players should boycott.. I have a suggestion for you. Quit your job, sell your house, fly to Tehran or whichever city you’re from and join the protests. If you’re not willing to do that then you are in no position to criticize our TM for going to work.

lol what a dumb comparison.

First of all, playing for TM is not a paid job.
Secondly, let's just assume it is a paid job, they can do their job but doesn't mean people necessarily have to cheer them on and celebrate their goals and wins on the field while people they're representing are getting killed and under suppression.

My job doesn't involve people cheering for me. If it did, I'd say they can stop doing that if they're going through grief.

TThis post isn't about TM players not playing in the world cup but about boycotting fan support for whoever feels like doing so, which seems like is not a very unpopular opinion.

You struggle to see similar examples in the past cause the example isn't really there. It's not every day you have teams participate in the world cup who have their government kill their own people in the thousands...

[koorosh]

Syria, that's the best example? Most of these guys ended up back in Assad led Syria.
A few joined Daesh.
What good did it do?

Syria was raised by a member here where NT football didn't have any dissenters and everybody in Syria was fine with that. My post shows that that narrative is completely a false one...there were many attempts at dissent.

Nobody said Syria was the best example. Every country is different and unique. The point is that in many countries there has been political dissent by athletes and there are many examples from which our NT players can learn from.

And what good did it do? In Syria's case, the sustained insurrection sine 2011 led to the downfall of a brutal hated dictatorship. Do I really need to go over this?

Vaclav Havel has an essay titled "The power of the powerless". It talks about how putting your head down and doing your job according to the rules of the dictatorship propagates that system. Whenever we conform to IR, we help propagate it. BTW, communism was overthrown too, by the people.

The people of Iran put up a bloody fight in 2022 and gained the freedom for women to go hejabless. That was a bloody struggle but they achieved that freedom despite hejab being a fundamental pillar of IR. That success is why we are where we are...they showed the way. IR is unstable once again.

Our football players have a choice...to speak out, to boycott, to make themselves unavailable for the NT. This shatters the illusion of normalcy that is so vital to this regime. The world cup is a massive deal and if enough of the players boycott it, it will reverberate through the world.

I am sitting is the West and very happy and successful indeed. I certainly don't feel like a failed generation at all, despite these dumb labels members here throw around.

The people of Iran however don't have it easy like me. They need to shake off this parasite and yes, that means not conforming and not propagating IR. Saying no is not the same as standing in front of bullets. The football players need to say no.

[persiangodfather]

I always said dont mix politics with sports. But now I agree. They banned Russia from everything and now Iran needs to be banned too

[Nokhodi]

I always said dont mix politics with sports. But now I agree. They banned Russia from everything and now Iran needs to be banned too

Russia waged war against another country.

[persiangodfather]

Russia waged war against another country.

Islamic republic raged war against humanity

[Super Shojaei]

Oh and how western media covered the Uyghurs in Xinjiang with upwards of 1 million of them being sent in interment camps well this AFC U23 championship China squad finished their semi final match with 3 Uyghurs in their starting 11 and they even did a Uyghur dance to celebrate at the end . As someone who works in China and speaks Chinese neither of these 3 have ever spoken out despite the western media pushback

footballers give no fucks as i once again argue

[Super Shojaei]

There is this thing called AI, and you can use it to find many many examples of athletes boycotting their own national teams....or screwed their own careers.

There was this guy named Muhammad Ali... You might have heard of him...refused the Vietnam draft and had to give up his belts and American career.

Look up South Africa...lots of examples of players boycotting NT in Rugby and other sports.

Russian Athletes boycotting their own federation after Ukrainian invasion...some play for other countries.

Afghanistan has a FIFA designated refugee womens soccer team.

Spanish Women's team members boycotted or threatened to boycott their NT a number of times, including finally 81 players who threatened to boycott their federation.

Bahrain Mass Withdrawals: In April 2011, six football clubs (mostly from Shia-majority areas) withdrew from the national league to protest the military’s use of violence against civilians. Over 150 athletes, coaches, and referees were suspended or jailed during this period for their political stances.

fair enough the South Africa example is a good one

i mean the Afghanistan example is odd as most west asian women's teams face some sort of repression either way and has been at war for way longer than iran has i mean i dont get that

Spanish women's football team boycott was after they won the euro championships - easy to boycott once the tournament is over

Bahrain is probably the best example but it didnt lead to any regime change and is a much smaller scale nation than iran - also theres no way Bahrain will ever be competing at a world cup so the stakes are much different and so far the PGPL has carried on despite all the atrocities

id argue the Russian athletes have nothing to play for at this stage and the national team is of inconvenience to them - their recent fixtures were Bolivia and Brunei where Brunei fielded a bartender in their starting 11 . They are essentially forced to play friendlies against rogue nation states with no international competitions - not as good as playing at a world cup obviously