Pride and points at stake in Tehran local derby - FEATURE

AFC - Wherever you are in the world, local derbies ignite and arouse passion among players and fans like no other game in the calendar. The Glasgow Rangers v Celtic, Liverpool v Everton and Inter v AC Milan rivalries are part of the game’s folklore. To this list, add Esteghal v Piruzi, the Tehran derby which makes other local derbies seem like pre-season friendlies.

Here, Majeed Panahi explains that this game has always been more than just 22 men kicking a football around a pitch, and why it plays such an important part in the political and social fabric of Tehran.

THE Tehran derby is a unique event in its own right. The passion the match between Esteghlal and Piruzi generates is truly distinctive. It goes well beyond a simple football match, as it reaches deep into the political and social hierarchy of life in Iran in general, and Tehran in particular.

In a bi-polar football league, where everything starts and ends with these two clubs, it is perhaps no surprise that the derby generates such an immense interest. However, the political and social implications of this derby have frequently overshadowed the events on the pitch.

Depending on which side you believe, this match has always been a battle between the aristocrats (Esteghlal) and the commoners (Piruzi), between those for and those against the establishment, between the oppressor and the oppressed.

As for the sporting values, the derby has seldom generated matches to satisfy the purists. The extreme passion of players, team officials and fans leaves little room for tactics or football wizardry to be displayed. Instead, the usual over-zealous nature of this match has created many boisterous events that have soiled Iran’s undoubtedly rich football tradition.

When victory is the sole objective, beautiful performances or other notions of a good football match take a back seat when Piruzi meets Esteghlal.

In the 1983/4 season, more than 130,000 spectators crammed into the cavernous Azadi stadium to watch the two teams in action. This was mainly due to the fact that Iranian TV announced that the match would not be televised as usual. Thousands of fans, mostly from the provinces, spent the night around the majestic complex in anticipation. There were queues miles long at the ticket booths by the time they opened at 8am, the morning of the match.

By 1pm, the stadium was packed to the rafters. The waves of incoming crowds did not stop, despite warnings from the media that the stadium was full to capacity. A huge traffic jam on the Tehran to Karaj highway leading to Azadi was spectacular, as neither the traffic police nor the security forces managed to halt the waves of people who would not miss the match for anything.

Two hours before the match, the Azadi, with an official capacity of 100,000, was suffocating as fans climbed walls and occupied every conceivable inch of space. Even the lighting pylons were not immune from this invasion, which created comical scenes when the stadium officials were unable to switch the lights on because fans were hanging onto the light projectors at the top of the towers.

As the match progressed and the sky gradually darkened, everyone expected the floodlights to come to life, but to no avail. Players and spectators gradually became restless waiting for the huge projectors to switch on until they realised that it was fans as fanatical as they were that were holding up the match.

Jeering and whistling began and the match was halted, but still the fans refused to budge, even when the players started to display their anger. The police eventually intervened and dared to climb up to force the stubborn fans down. This created hilariously comic scenes, with wild Tom & Jerry chases, all to the delight of the amused crowd.

Unfortunately, not all the derby matches deliver such entertaining fare. Many violent clashes on and off the pitch have marred recent clashes between the two clubs. The intense pressure, traffic jams and difficulty getting into the stadium raises the temperature and lowers the tolerance level of the fans. This tense atmosphere often causes scenes that have little to do with football. Many groups also take advantage of this match for anti-government protests, regardless of who is ruling the country.

One might mistakenly think that the passion is slightly dampened this season due to the fact that both the clubs are playing second fiddle to Sepahan Esfahan, the newly crowned champions of Iran’s Premier league. Sepahan is the first club outside Tehran to win the championship outside Tehran and they have won it in style, with three weeks of the season to run.

Sepahan’s championship victory tasted that much sweeter, as it happened against Piruzi, after a 1-1 draw in Tehran. Piruzi are currently third in the table, while Esteghlal are seventh.

But, as everyone knows, when it comes to local derbies, there are more important things to worry about than statistics and league standings.

By Majeed Panahi