Hana Human Rights Organization has documented a serious case of racist harassment and ethnic hate speech during an official First Division football match in Urmia on 13 October 2025. Verified video footage shows supporters of Navad Urmia FC performing the wolf salute, a hand gesture associated with radical Turkish nationalist movements, and chanting slogans in Turkish (Azeri) invoking the name of Gholamreza Hassani, a cleric known for his hostility toward Kurds. The crowd repeatedly shouted “Hassani, where are you?” while making gestures comparing Kurds to animals. This behavior constitutes racist ridicule and dehumanization of an ethnic community and represents a form of ethnic harassment and hate speech incompatible with both international human-rights law and FIFA’s commitment to equality and human dignity.
Urmia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious city, home to Turkish Shia, Kurdish Sunni, and Christian minorities. Ethnic tension in the region has deep historical roots and is often aggravated by discriminatory policies that privilege one community over another. Hana’s monitoring shows that similar incidents of racist and sectarian chanting have repeatedly occurred during football matches in Iran, yet the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI)has systematically failed to investigate or impose sanctions. This repeated inaction constitutes institutional negligenceand fosters an environment in which ethnic hostility and public humiliation of minorities are normalized.
This incident contravenes several binding international and institutional standards. It violates Article 2(1) and Article 20(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which require States to prohibit advocacy of national or racial hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination or hostility. It breaches the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), particularly Articles 2 and 4, obliging States to condemn and prevent racial hatred and to ensure that public authorities refrain from promoting or tolerating such acts. Within the sports framework, the incident also violates Article 4 of the FIFA Statutes on non-discrimination and human dignity, Article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code on racism and discrimination, and FIFA’s Human Rights Policy (2017), which commits member associations to respect internationally recognized human rights standards in all football related activities.
Hana Human Rights Organization expresses deep concern over the systematic disregard of these legal obligations by FFIRI and calls upon the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to exercise its supervisory authority to ensure full compliance with the FIFA Statutes and Human Rights Policy. FIFA should initiate an independent investigation into the persistence of racist behavior and ethnic harassment within Iranian football, including the structural failure of the FFIRI to apply disciplinary measures in accordance with Article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.
Hana further calls on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to monitor and enforce anti-racism standards within all competitions held under its jurisdiction in Iran. Concrete measures should include targeted sanctions against clubs whose supporters engage in racist or discriminatory conduct, as well as mandatory education and awareness programs to promote respect, equality, and diversity in football.
Racist insults and ethnic humiliation have no place in sport. The tolerance of such acts violates fundamental human rights principles and undermines FIFA’s global commitment to protect human dignity, equality, and integrity. Hana Human Rights Organization urges all relevant bodies to ensure that accountability and preventive mechanisms are effectively implemented to prevent recurrence of similar incidents.
Hana Human Rights Organization