TEHRAN, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Iran's top soccer competitions, known as Iran Professional League (IPL), has been marred by violence and abusive language, according to Tehran Times daily on Monday.
The rivalry between Persepolis and Sepahan, two old and popular soccer clubs in Iran, is a footballing rivalry which dates back to many years ago.
However, in recent years the rivalry between these two teams, who have always been among the favorites to win the IPL, has often stirred controversy.
Chaotic scenes broke out during match between Persepolis and Sepahan on Friday as visiting fans broke the seats and clashed with the security forces.
On Friday April 19, similar issues happened in Tabriz. After the match between Tractor Sazi and Paykan, the Tabriz fans were devastated at their team's 0-1 home loss and started causing a public nuisance as a display of their anger.
The Disciplinary Committee of Iran Football Federation on Saturday made temporary rulings in some disciplinary cases regarding the match between Persepolis and Sepahan. The committee has also gave penalties to some clubs and their violent fans in previous similar cases. The punishments were temporary, so were the solutions. That behavior has been repeated again and again at pitches everywhere in Iran.
Violent incidents of Iranian soccer competitions in recent years have reached alarming levels, putting pressure on the Iran Football Federation to adopt stronger measures.
