AFC, Football Australia back Iranian ref Faghani over online abuse
The Asian Football Federation and Football Australia threw their support behind Alireza Faghani after the Iranian referee was subject to online abuse in the aftermath of last-16 match at the Asian Cup in Qatar.
The high-profile Iranian, representing the Australian football governing body at the tournament, was targeted on social media for his decision to show a second yellow card to Iraq striker Aymen Hussein for his controversial ‘grass-eating’ goal celebration after giving his team a 2-1 lead in the 76th minute of the game against Jordan on Monday.
Hussein seemed to be mocking the Jordanian players’ celebration after their first-half goal.
Down to 10 men, Iraq failed to hold on to the lead as Jordan scored twice deep into stoppage time to win 3-2 and progress to the quarterfinals.
Furious fans took to Instagram to attack the Iranian afterwards, exposing his personal information, while a petition signed by over 750,000 people has called for his suspension.
in a statement released by the Australian Associated Press late on Tuesday, Football Australia said it is “in constant contact with Alireza and is providing he and his family with all the support they require.”
“Football Australia is also working with e-Safety and relevant law enforcement agencies on this matter,” FA added.
The AFC, meanwhile, did not name the Iranian ref but said: “We strongly condemn any form of threat, harassment, or disclosure of personal information targeting our referees, players, officials and all stakeholders.”
The Asian football governing body also banned the “aggressive” journalists who confronted Iraq head coach Jesus Casas after the game.
At the post-match press conference, Iraqi journalists were seen shouting at Casas and more than a dozen stormed out while pointing fingers at the Spaniard. Some were led away by officials when they approached the podium.
“The AFC strongly condemns any type of unruly and aggressive behavior and takes a zero-tolerance stance against such actions,” it said in a statement.
“(The AFC) have taken the swift decision to bar the responsible individuals from covering not only the AFC Asian Cup but also future AFC tournaments.”
Iraq Football Association said the journalists’ actions were a “black mark in Iraqi media history”.
“These events have no connection to the authentic Iraqi media that is known for its honorable positions,” Iraq’s FA said.
“We denounce the blatant and abhorrent behavior that occurred against the coach, and we confirm that we have decided not to deal with these media personnel who seek to cause chaos in the future.”
Reuters and AFP contributed to the report.