February 2, 2024
The latest match between the two biggest Tehran soccer clubs, Persepolis and Esteghlal, ended, not surprisingly, in a 1-1 tie but the big controversy was over refereeing.
The two teams have now played each other 103 times, with 50 of those matches being ties, Esteghlal winning 26 times and Persepolis winning the other 27 times. Persepolis has outscored Esteghlal 101 to 94.
The Tehran authorities love these frequent tied matches because when one team or the other wins there has frequently been rioting in the streets around the stadium.
For the first time in Iranian league games, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), long used in other counties, was adopted in Iran.
The rules say that the players and team officials must not surround the referee or try to influence the outcome when a referee is trying to view the video to resolve a disputed call.
But while the VAR was being viewed in this match, the players congregated around the referee and shouted their opinions about the call.