Soccer Players with Ponytails Banned in Iran

[Father Ted]

Iran has banned soccer players from sporting ponytails and sculpted beards as part of a campaign to prevent the spread of Western culture in the Islamic state, a soccer federation official said on Thursday.



The federation said those who defied the order ran the risk of being banned from the game.


"Soccer players with ponytails, hair-band and sculpted beards will be banned from playing or will be fined," Navid Majd, head of the federation's public relations office, told Reuters.



http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=583&e=2&u=/nm/20041028/od_nm/ponytails_dc

[Teso Dos Bichos]

Probably best for their football development in the long term. We don't want yet another country of footballers concentrating more on their image than the football. I applaud them.

[MightyMouse]

They should probably just slap a swastika on their arms while their at it, the fun police are out to get you. "Sir you are laughing and you are reaching you laughing limit of 3 minutes per day or the nasty bearded one's will get you... MUHAHAHAHHAA!" So sad, the repression of cultures, ideas and individuality is nothing more than the attempt of creating robots out of a young society that is desperate for something new. I'm shocked they still allow all this crap to slide by, how is it humans reach this point? Oh and God bless the free...

[Auriaprottu]

It's not about football. It's about a nation preserving its culture.

From the link: "Soccer players with ponytails, hair-band and sculpted beards will be banned from playing or will be fined," Navid Majd, head of the federation's public relations office, told Reuters.

The ban does not apply to long hair. "The Prophet Mohammad had long hair. We have no problem with it," Majd said.

Some newspapers reported recently that at least two soccer players in the Iranian professional league had received warnings because of their "inappropriate" hair style. But Majd denied it.

Many Iranians are obsessed with soccer, and soccer players are considered role models for younger fans.

"We should respect our culture, especially our sportsmen," Majd said.

Can't imagine why this is noteworthy to anyone outside Iran. Not only is the league too insignificant to have any real effect on job opportunities for footballers, it's... their... (Iran's) business. Repeat as often as necessary.

But while we're condemning other cultures/nations: I've had five jobs, ranging from student-level spending money to adult-level income, where I had to shave my (well-kept, in case the question arises) beard. In every case, it was a matter of creating a clean-cut image that Joe and Jane Sixpack found appealing. Sound familiar?

There are probably fewer than 30 bearded US senators, representatives or governors all told. I'm not sure that either major party has even nominated a bearded presidential candidate since at least WWII. Should we accept the American public's fascination with/negative opinions about facial hair while condemning someone else's culture for doing a similar thing? Should we suggest that it ought to matter in government but not in football, or that individuals willingly bowing to public opinion/perception (such as the senator who might want to grow a beard but does not because his constituents might disapprove) is somehow more noble than making it official policy? Nah.

Pot, meet kettle. And Ralph Reed's pimple-free mug is the most frightening thing this side of the late (and equally clean-shaven) Jeffrey Dahmer.

[Almogavar92]

This is big news?

Daniel Passarella did the same thing when he first took over the Argentine national team. In fact, he went a few steps further and stated that no player with long hair, ear-rings and homosexuals would don the sky blue and white shirt of the national team.

I wish from time to time the Korean national team would curb its Beckham-wannabe players from sporting the most f***ed up hair.

[persiantiger]

About damn time!
http://66.113.139.219/pics/1383/8/Photo/64.jpg
http://www.ipna.ir/News/ipna-photo-report/Football/aban/est-pers-83-08-1/ipna_56.jpg
http://www.ipna.ir/News/ipna-photo-report/Football/aban/est-pers-83-08-1/ipna_59.jpg
http://www.ipna.ir/News/ipna-photo-report/Football/aban/est-pers-83-08-1/ipna_46.jpg
if this continues any longer we will be featured in that gay football teams thread on WR, then again mustaches are also considered gay by some even the manly mucho iranian mustaches, half of iran's 98 team had mustaches, the current team has no mustached players.. where did we go wrong? we need mustached players. P.S daie played better with a mustache.

[fedwood]

it looks as though they are just jumping into each other
are they even playing football

[Mani]

It's another stupid idea by IFF overall but It got nothing to do with long hair. They just want some players to focus on their game instead of their looks. Like these metrosexual Iranian players:

http://www.persianfootball.com/news/images/nikki2.jpg
http://iransportspress.com/data/images/news/categories/cat_45/anasarianhair.jpg
http://www.ipna.ir/News/Image_News/pashazadeh-rapid.jpg
http://www.sksturm.at/uploads/pics/razzaghi.jpg

[Soju Gorae]

As a big ******** you to the IFF, all Iranian nationals should sport a rainbow afro wig, Mr. T gold medallions, and wear those giant Mickey Mouse gloves.

[AFCA]

Thumbs up to Iran. Who needs Cinderella sissy boys anyway?

[AFCA]

As a big ******** you to the IFF, all Iranian nationals should sport a rainbow afro wig, Mr. T gold medallions, and wear those giant Mickey Mouse gloves.

That would make them look like your average South Korean football fan.

[napalm_dave]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=583&e=2&u=/nm/20041028/od_nm/ponytails_dc

Next thing you know the Iranian Women’s Team will begin forcing their players to shave their beards.

[Sachin]

It's not about football. It's about a nation preserving its culture.



Can't imagine why this is noteworthy to anyone outside Iran. Not only is the league too insignificant to have any real effect on job opportunities for footballers, it's... their... (Iran's) business. Repeat as often as necessary.

But while we're condemning other cultures/nations: I've had five jobs, ranging from student-level spending money to adult-level income, where I had to shave my (well-kept, in case the question arises) beard. In every case, it was a matter of creating a clean-cut image that Joe and Jane Sixpack found appealing. Sound familiar?

There are probably fewer than 30 bearded US senators, representatives or governors all told. I'm not sure that either major party has even nominated a bearded presidential candidate since at least WWII. Should we accept the American public's fascination with/negative opinions about facial hair while condemning someone else's culture for doing a similar thing? Should we suggest that it ought to matter in government but not in football, or that individuals willingly bowing to public opinion/perception (such as the senator who might want to grow a beard but does not because his constituents might disapprove) is somehow more noble than making it official policy? Nah.

Pot, meet kettle. And Ralph Reed's pimple-free mug is the most frightening thing this side of the late (and equally clean-shaven) Jeffrey Dahmer.
So on one hand, you're stated the official ban on long hair and sculpted beards is purely an Iranian issue and really doesn't amount to a hill of beans outside Iran. On the other, you've argued that the unofficial American distaste for facial hair somehow deserves condemnation.

Which is it? Why is it OK for Persians to literally demand facial hair, but not OK for Americans to show distate for it?

Sachin

[AFCA]

Facial hair on men or women Sachin? Or same difference?

[Sachin]

Hey, if a woman wants to wear facial hair, more power to her. Just don't expect me to date her.

Sachin

[AFCA]

Shave and let not shave. I fully agree.

[Soju Gorae]

That would make them look like your average South Korean football fan.
Still have a chapped anus about my Ajax jab, eh. What a giant vagina. :D

Move the ******** on, boy.

[AFCA]

Chapped anus? Is that a delicacy over there?

Anyway, no... just ridiculing you and everything you stand for. Same old, same old.

[fatboy15]

It's not about football. It's about a nation preserving its culture.



Can't imagine why this is noteworthy to anyone outside Iran. Not only is the league too insignificant to have any real effect on job opportunities for footballers, it's... their... (Iran's) business. Repeat as often as necessary.

But while we're condemning other cultures/nations: I've had five jobs, ranging from student-level spending money to adult-level income, where I had to shave my (well-kept, in case the question arises) beard. In every case, it was a matter of creating a clean-cut image that Joe and Jane Sixpack found appealing. Sound familiar?

There are probably fewer than 30 bearded US senators, representatives or governors all told. I'm not sure that either major party has even nominated a bearded presidential candidate since at least WWII. Should we accept the American public's fascination with/negative opinions about facial hair while condemning someone else's culture for doing a similar thing? Should we suggest that it ought to matter in government but not in football, or that individuals willingly bowing to public opinion/perception (such as the senator who might want to grow a beard but does not because his constituents might disapprove) is somehow more noble than making it official policy? Nah.

Pot, meet kettle. And Ralph Reed's pimple-free mug is the most frightening thing this side of the late (and equally clean-shaven) Jeffrey Dahmer.


you're gay

[Auriaprottu]

So on one hand, you're stated the official ban on long hair and sculpted beards is purely an Iranian issue and really doesn't amount to a hill of beans outside Iran. On the other, you've argued that the unofficial American distaste for facial hair somehow deserves condemnation.

I'm not sure how you arrived at your conclusion. Let's go back over the only section of my post that you could possibly be referring to. I'll bold my intent to eliminate any confusion.

Should we accept the American public's fascination with/negative opinions about facial hair while condemning someone else's culture for doing a similar thing? Should we suggest that it ought to matter in government (us and them*) but not in football (them*), or that individuals willingly bowing to public opinion/perception (us*-such as the senator who might want to grow a beard but does not because his constituents might disapprove) is somehow more noble than making it official policy(them*)? Nah.

*- inserted for your benefit. But I really think you understand already.

I made an observation which (up to that point) had not been made: Yes, Iran has an official policy wrt footballers and facial hair, but we have a similar, tho unofficial, policy favoring clean-shaven faces in certain professions. The big picture, Sachin, is that while the latter policy has not received unfavorable pub in a BigSoccer thread or anywhere else, the former policy has. If I've argued that anything deserves condemnation, it's the double standard.

I'm not terribly fond of either approach. Sure, I'd like to see Americans change their views on facial hair, especially since so many bearded men work honorably in many trades and professions. I admit that I don't care what Iran does, as I don't live there, and have no plans (or chance) of a footballing career this late in life. But, again, I didn't start a thread with the thinly disguised (and mistaken) notion that this country is somehow above imposing appearance codes on those citizens it considers to be role models, while other countries are not.

Hope this helps.