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Pardoned Iranian nuclear negotiator sues FIFA over team’s World Cup loss against Egypt
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- Pardoned Iranian nuclear negotiator sues FIFA over team’s World Cup loss against Egypt
An Iranian political scientist once accused by the feds of working as an unregistered agent for Tehran has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against FIFA, association president Gianni Infantino , and an unknown number of anonymous FIFA officials after the nation's World Cup team was eliminated from competition by a controversial on-field call.
Lotfolah Kaveh Afrasiabi, who, among other things, served as an official adviser to Iran's nuclear negotiation team when talks were underway with former president Barack Obama , is petitioning for class-action status on behalf of up to 91 million "Iranian nationals and/or Iranian-Americans who supported the Iran football national team and who were emotionally scarred by the flagrant discrimination against their beloved team," according to a civil complaint filed June 30 in Boston federal court.
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In it, the 68-year-old Afrasiabi, a Massachusetts resident acting as his own attorney, takes issue with FIFA's "double standard, hypocrisy and outright discrimination" against the Iranian squad, which was stripped of a game-winning goal last weekend against Egypt following a video review that determined the scoring player had been offside. As a result of the 1-1 tie, Egypt advanced to the tournament's knock-out stage for the first time ever, while Iran was sent home.
Afrasiabi's complaint contends there exists "[c]lear and incontrovertible" proof that FIFA's "VAR" system, or, Video Assistant Referee, made an "erroneous" decision "deliberately designed to deprive Iran of victory" in the June 26 match. The move to invalidate the goal by centre-back Shoja Khalilzadeh was immediately "slammed by the Fox Sports commentator [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic as a 'theft' requiring FIFA's apology to Iran, in light of the clear evidence that an Egyptian defender was well behind the Iranian players," according to the complaint.
"In effect, Defendants' actions complained of herein convinced the Plaintiffs and others similarly situated that Iran was 'robbed' of victory and the chance for advancing to the knock-off [sic] stage of the World Cup, thus creating a traumatic experience of victimization on their part," the complaint states.
Shoja Khalilzadeh of Iran reacts after his June 26 winning goal against Egypt was voided for an offside violation. An Iranian political scientist once accused of working covertly for the Iranian government and later pardoned by Joe Biden, is now suing FIFA over the loss (Getty Images)
In a phone call on Wednesday, Afrasiabi told The Independent that he considers his $1 billion demand to be "very generous," if not a bit low.
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"If I end up with fair jurors, they might even consider a higher amount because of how wrong FIFA's misconduct was in this case," Afrasiabi said.
FIFA "should have done something about it," Afrasiabi continued, saying the nullified goal, along with a raft of other indignities the Iranian team faced from the U.S. government, "really aggrieved millions of Iranians, including me."
Afrasiabi – who has taught at Harvard University and is the author of more than three dozen books – was arrested in 2021 at his home in Watertown, Massachusetts, on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent of the Iranian government. Prosecutors alleged Afrasiabi spent more than a decade covertly working on behalf of Tehran to influence public perception of the regime; Afrasiabi flatly denied the charges calling himself little more than a "consultant" who was "committed to U.S.-Iran reconciliation and peace and dialogue."
He was pardoned by President Joe Biden two years later, as he awaited trial, as part of an Iran-U.S. prisoner swap mediated by Qatar, and has since remained in the Boston area.
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In the aftermath, Afrasiabi sued the Iranian government for putting him in a position that could have sent him to prison for up to 10 years. Last year, he sued television host Piers Morgan for calling him an Iranian spy on the air. (Afrasiabi lost and is now appealing, he said Wednesday.)
Lotfolah Kaveh Afrasiabi, who, among other things, served as an official adviser to Iran's nuclear negotiation team, is petitioning for class-action status on behalf of up to 91 million 'Iranian nationals and/or Iranian-Americans who supported the Iran football national team and who were emotionally scarred by the flagrant discrimination against their beloved team,' according to a civil complaint filed June 30 in federal court. (Provided)
Beyond the disallowed goal, the Iranian team, from the beginning, "faced a myriad of other discriminatory practices," including visa denials for at least 11 members of the nation's World Cup delegation, Afrasiabi's complaint goes on.
The players were initially not allowed to stay overnight in the U.S., although this restriction was later loosened slightly, but not before restrictions put in place by Donald Trump's State Department forced the team to move its training camp from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico.
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Combined, this placed an "insurmountable hardship" on the team, as well as Iranian spectators, according to the complaint.
For his part, Iran manager Amir Ghalenoei called his team "the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup.'
"When you play in a match, physiologically your body is at a low afterward," he told reporters . "And when you suddenly have to get straight on a plane for a three hour flight back it postpones your recovery… Their behavior towards us has been really terrible, and I hope the world is aware of that. All of this really hurt us… and, of course, we have a war back home, as well."
FIFA, according to Afrasiabi's complaint, was required to adhere to "the principle of fair and equal treatment of the Iran national team," but "failed in every respect in terms of upholding this principle."
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"When you treat the team like potential terrorists, you're [also] doing that to the people who back them," he told The Independent . "So, my intention is to hit back at FIFA for horrendous mistreatment and racism – they would never do this to a European team."
Political scientist and pardoned Iranian agent Lotfolah Kaveh Afrasiabi, seen here with former UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon, is suing FIFA over allegedly discriminating against the Iranian soccer team during its World Cup appearance, ultimately costing the squad a chance to move on in the tournament (Provided)
Afrasiabi slammed FIFA for what he called a "flagrant violation of their own principles," and said Infantino "did nothing to alleviate the situation." His lawsuit is "novel," he admitted, but argued there is "a great necessity" to bring it "because of the exaggerated nature of the gross mistreatment of the Iranian team and the Iranian nation."
The members of the class include the more than 91 million citizens of Iran and a million-plus Iranians living in the U.S., all of whom are now "severely anguished," according to Afrasiabi's complaint.
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"Excluded from the Classes are anyone opposed to the Iran national team, including political dissidents and their media supporters," the complaint states.
Last year, a devoted fan sued the NFL for $100 million over the "emotional distress" caused by quarterback Shedeur Sanders not getting picked early enough in the draft. (The case remains pending.)
In the event Afrasiabi manages to win his case, he said a portion of the money would be set aside for youth athletic programs in Iran. He now has 60 days to serve papers on FIFA , which has offices in Miami.
"Right now, my first priority is to serve them properly, and then go and battle it out when they file a motion to dismiss," Afrasiabi told The Independent .
FIFA acknowledged a request for comment on Wednesday but did not immediately respond.
