Publish Date: 16 November 2019 - 17:05

TEHRAN, Nov. 16 (MNA) – FIFA, football's world governing body, has fined Bahrain’s football federation 20,000 Swiss francs after its fans disrespected the Iranian national anthem before a World Cup qualifying game last month.

According to the latest announcement of FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, published on Friday, Bahrain has been fined with 20,000 Swiss francs for “Order and security at matches (overcrowded stadium; booing the national anthem)” and also for “Misconduct of players and officials (delayed kick-off)”.

National football teams of Iran and Bahrain held a match on Oct. 15 in the Matchday three of Group C of qualifiers for World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023. The match started with a controversial move by Bahraini fans and even a weirder reaction by Bahraini players on the pitch. As soon as Iran’s national anthem was played, fans started booing and making a lot of noise while Bahraini players laughed at the fan's action as a sign of approval.

FIFA has also warned Iran for “Offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play, misconduct of players and officials (no post-match handshake)” in the same match against Bahrain. 

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