Soccer: Four Iranian players banned for protest support

Four Iranian soccer players have been banned for life from their national team because they showed support for anti-Government protesters by wearing green wristbands in a match.

The players took to the field for a World Cup qualifier against South Korea in Seoul last week with green strips of cloth tied around both wrists. The protest movement in the streets of Tehran has used green banners, flags and clothing to show support for defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.

The players' highly visible gesture was seen as a protest against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election on June 12.

The pro-government newspaper Iran reported that four players - Ali Karimi, 31, Mehdi Mahdavikia, 32, Hosein Ka'abi, 24 and Vahid Hashemian, 32 - were "retired" from the sport after their gesture in last Thursday's match.

Two other players who also wore wristbands were not mentioned.

Fifa, the sport's world governing body, prohibits political displays, so the players removed their wristbands at halftime. However, Mahdavikia continued to wear his green captain's armband until fulltime.

Iranian supporters outside the ground in Seoul protested to show support for the demonstrations in Iran.

The Iranian team's chief administrative officer, Mansour Pourhiedari, claimed after Thursday's match that the wristbands were a religious tribute to a revered Shia figure.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, ending Iran's hopes of qualifying for next year's World Cup in South Africa.

Ahmadinejad is a noted soccer fan and in 2006 Iran was briefly banned from international competition by Fifa after claims of improper interference by his Government.

Earlier this year the national team coach Ali Daei was sacked, reportedly on Ahmadinejad's orders.