Iranian footballers punished for opposing Ahmadinejad

In a World Cup qualifier last week against South Korea, members of the Iranian football team wore green wristbands to express their solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of people who were protesting against what many have condemned as a rigged election.

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Their silent but very public protest was seen a show of support for rival candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, whose campaign colour was green. The players were told to remove the wristbands for the second half of the game.

According to reports from Balatarin the footballers in the protest have now had their passports confiscated and have been banned from giving media interviews. A number of state newspapers in Iran are also believed to be waging a public campaign pressuring the football authorities to force he players into early retirement.