Iranian Soccer Players Banned From League, Stadiums For 'Immoral' Butt Grab (VIDEOS)
Two Iranian soccer players have not only been banned from the league, but are prohibited from even stepping foot in a stadium, following what's considered to be an "immoral" act on the field.
The action in question, which you can see in the YouTube clips below, is a celebratory yet provocative "butt grab" that occurred after one player scored a goal. According to the AP, Mohammed Nosrati's of Persepolis backside squeeze of teammate Sheis Rezaei was enough to warrant more than just a scolding.
According to the AFP, the penalties have been steep:
"Nosrati and Rezaei have been banned indefinitely from all football activities for committing immoral acts,'' said Ismail Hasanzadeh, head of the Iranian soccer federation's disciplinary committee, quoted on the website.
The two have also been suspended by Persepolis, a popular club financed by the government, and have to pay a fine of $40,000 (500 million rials) each.
As Yahoo's Dirty Tackle blog points out, especially in the first video, it doesn't look as if the player getting pinched was particularly okay with the action. Nevertheless, his punishments were as severe. Certainly it wasn't such a good idea considering Iran's reputation for this sort of thing, and the fact that the game was on national television.
The AP reports that both players have stated that they never intended to offend, but the apology has done little to help their case. It's still possible that they could face even more sanctions.
WATCH (The incident in question):
WATCH (The previous incident):
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The Huffington Post Dean Praetorius First Posted: 11/02/11 08:15 PM ET Updated: 11/02/11 08:15 PM ET