Iraj Abedini, Psychologist, Sweden
Bahram Mavadat*, Psychologist, Germany
* Bahram Mavadat was the goalkeeper of the Iranian national football (soccer) team in the 1970s and a member of Tehran’s popular Persepolis Football Club. He is currently a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Abstract. In authoritarian and oppressive societies, sport is not merely a physical activity or competition but becomes a field for expressing protest, resistance, and individual and social identity. The religious fascist regime of the mullahs, with an ideological and security-oriented perspective, has employed sport to serve propaganda purposes, cultural control, and the reproduction of monopolistic political discourse. Nevertheless, the increasing tendency of youth—especially girls—toward sport reflects subtle resistance and the effort to rebuild individuality and independent identity against political, social, cultural, and gender-based repression. This article, using a multidimensional analytical approach, examines the psychological, social, political, cultural, and gender dimensions of sport in contemporary Iran.
1. Introduction
In advanced and modern societies, sport serves as a tool for individual and social health, civic participation, and improved quality of life. In such contexts, sport, relying on scientific planning and developed infrastructure, fosters collective growth, societal well-being, and talent development. However, in ideological and authoritarian societies, sport becomes a dual and contradictory arena: on one hand, a tool for repression and control, and on the other, a platform for covert resistance and the reconstruction of independent identity.
In the current Iranian regime, despite structural, ideological, and gender-based limitations, youth—especially girls—are increasingly drawn to sport. This tendency is not only driven by physical and psychological needs but also serves as a socio-political response to constraints imposed by the government. This article aims to analyze and explain this phenomenon through a multifaceted lens.
2. Sport as a Government Tool: Propaganda, Control, and Corruption
In the mullahs’ regime, the sport sector has been diverted from its natural path to serve as a propaganda instrument. The widespread appointment of military, security, and professionally unqualified personnel at the head of the Ministry of Sport, federations, clubs, and other sports institutions demonstrates a profound security-centered approach to this field. This perspective serves two main objectives:
- Propaganda and Legitimization: Utilizing sports achievements, especially in international competitions, to showcase national cohesion and societal health, despite severe internal crises.
- Cultural and Social Control: Managing and monitoring athletes, preventing the formation of independent institutions, and limiting social solidarity within sports activities.
Structural corruption has also taken root, including nepotism, financial misappropriation, lack of transparency in budget allocation, and neglect of merit, placing Iranian sport in a critical state (Rad, 2022; Brannagan & Grix, 2024).
Women’s Sport: Field of Discrimination and Repression. From the outset, the regime has held a gender-biased perspective toward women’s sport. Religious pretexts, dress codes, gender segregation, and restrictive structures have prevented women from equal access to facilities, competitions, and support.
Manifestations of discrimination include:
- Banning specific sports for women (e.g., cycling, gymnastics, swimming, wrestling)
- Limiting participation in international competitions under clothing or political pretexts
- Insufficient funding for women’s sports
- Inequality in contracts, rewards, and financial support compared to male athletes
- Media censorship and suppression of successful female athletes
As a result, many Iranian female athletes have migrated and competed as part of refugee teams in international events, including the Paris Olympics. These migrations symbolize the failure of sports and cultural policies regarding women’s athletic participation (Ziaee et al., 2023).
3. Sport as Resistance: Psychological Dynamics in the Context of Repression
In a politically restricted environment, the human body becomes a field of individual resistance. Youth deprived of political, cultural, athletic, or professional participation experience “micro-freedom” through sport.
Psychological benefits for young athletes include:
- Emotional regulation and anxiety reduction under social pressure (Shamshirian & Halldorsson, 2024)
- Restoration of perceived control and self-efficacy (Fromm, 1994)
- Increased self-confidence and competence through achievement
- Mental health improvement via serotonin, dopamine, and endorphin release
Even amateur-level engagement provides youth with a sense of freedom, belonging, and presence in life (Pasban & Naderi Nasab, 2022).
Social Capital, Collective Identity, and Sport. Sport remains one of the few arenas for collective action, fostering social capital. Local clubs, teams, competitions, and training programs provide youth with opportunities for interaction, dialogue, and solidarity.
Social and cultural roles include:
- Strengthening independent, non-ideological identity, especially internationally
- Developing informal social networks outside security control
- Building cultural and political capital among youth
- Redefining “Iranian identity” independent of official state discourse
Within this context, successful athletes become symbols of an unofficial national identity rooted in merit, effort, and professional ethics rather than political allegiance (Bourdieu, 1986; Fanon, 2004).
Historical Experience of Athlete Repression. Since the 1980s, athletes critical of the official government discourse have faced pressure, censorship, exclusion, and even physical violence. Examples include:
- Arrest, torture, imprisonment, and execution of politically oriented athletes (Behzadi, 2020)
- Removal of dissenting athletes from national teams
- Mass migration of top athletes abroad
- Public backlash against athletes who remained silent during popular uprisings
Sport under the mullahs has always served as a vehicle for political alignment, not a neutral professional space, yet history abounds with athletes who resisted openly or covertly.
4. Corruption, Unethical Behavior, and Security Influence in Iranian Sport
Although cultural and ethical degradation in sport under the religious fascist regime has been ongoing for years, currently we witness exponential growth and transgression beyond gender boundaries. This issue must be examined from multiple perspectives (Rad, 2022).
Violence and Unethical Behavior in Competitions. Rising unethical behaviors among players, coaches, and spectators, physical and verbal conflicts, and disrespect toward referees and their decisions (Pasban & Naderi Nasab, 2022).
Corruption and Match-Fixing. Entry of illicit money and informal betting, manipulation of match results—especially in football—and financial corruption in clubs and federations (Brannagan & Grix, 2024).
Professional Ethics Violations by Athletes and Managers. Use of doping and unethical methods for victory, and neglect of legal and professional commitments by some athletes and managers (Arnaud & Riordan, 1998).
Unhealthy Fan Culture. Racial, ethnic, and gender insults in stadiums, abuse toward athletes and coaches, property destruction, post-match street conflicts, and expansion of online platforms for hate speech (Zahiri Aghcheh Dizaj et al., 2021).
Decline of Chivalry and Sportsmanship. Departure from traditional moral values foundational to Iranian sport and prioritization of personal and financial gain over athletic and humanistic values (Byani, 2018).
Security and intelligence agencies play a central role in many sports crises:
- Management Influence: Senior sports federation, club, and committee leaders often originate from the Revolutionary Guard, security forces, or intelligence affiliates, appointed for political or ideological reasons rather than merit, leading to corruption and mismanagement (Rad, 2022).
- Control and Repression of Dissident Athletes: From detention and bans to threats, killings, and injuries during protests (Behzadi, 2020).
- Political Exploitation of Sport: Example: prohibition of competition against specific opponents (Pasban & Naderi Nasab, 2022).
- Support for Corruption and Patronage Networks: Financial and managerial manipulation facilitated by security actors (Brannagan & Grix, 2024).
- Suppression of Fans and Stadium Protests: Security presence and hired leaders control stadium discourse, especially anti-government chants (Ziaee et al., 2023).
Consequently, the infiltration of security, intelligence, and Revolutionary Guard agencies has expanded unethical behavior, corruption, repression, and mismanagement. This situation harms athletes and fans while obstructing genuine international sports development.
Recent events, such as female attendance in select football matches (e.g., Persepolis vs. Tractor Sazi) with unprecedented abuse, demonstrate the cultural-social crisis and the regime’s role in stadium management (Ziaee et al., 2023).
5. Conclusion
Under the mullahs’ rule, sport is not merely a physical or competitive activity but a symbolic battleground between power structures and social forces. Youth enthusiasm for sport signals hope, resistance, and attempts to reclaim individual and collective identity within a severely restricted civil space.
Structural corruption, gender discrimination, and ideological governance have placed Iran’s sports institutions in crisis. Yet, Iranian youth still possess the potential to use sport as a means of self-expression, identity, solidarity, and protest. Should the regime respond with continued repression, sport will become a broader arena for resistance, protests, athlete migration, and public distrust.
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