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Avideh Motmaen-Far: FIFA sides with mullahs in Tehran over the people they oppress

The ban on the Lion and Sun flag at World Cup events serves the interests of Iran's brutal dictators

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Four years ago, I wrote an op-ed arguing that the World Cup should not be used as a veneer that lets the Islamic Republic of Iran pass itself off as a normal country. Today, as the 2026 World Cup gets underway throughout North America, FIFA has managed to do something I did not think possible: it has taken the side of the regime, over the very people it oppresses.

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FIFA has prohibited fans from displaying Iran’s Lion and Sun flag in World Cup stadiums, citing a stadium code of conduct that bars banners and symbols deemed to be “political.” At the same time, FIFA has described its talks with Iran’s football federation — an institution that does not operate independently of the state — as “excellent” and “constructive,” and has entertained the federation’s demand for “respect for the Iranian flag.” In other words, the symbol of the dictatorship is welcome; the symbol of the........

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