An Iranian court sentenced 80 soccer fans to jail today for vandalism and inciting violence after a World Cup qualifying play-off match last week, the official IRNA news agency said.
The court ruled that the fans, aged between 15 and 40, would stay in jail until the end of Iran's World Cup qualifying campaign. Ireland are due to play Iran in Dublin on November 10th if Iran beat the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.
The 80 were arrested in the central city of Karaj when celebrations after Iran's victory over the UAE turned violent. Hundreds were also arrested in unrest in the capital Tehran and other cities.
Those sentenced to jail for vandalism and inciting violence after the soccer matches will remain in prison until the end of the World Cup qualifying matches, the agency quoted the judge, Hossein Asgharzadeh, as saying.
In the past few weeks soccer fans across Iran have taken to the streets after international games, regardless of whether their team won or lost, clashing with police and smashing windows and wrecking vehicles.
Demonstrations after soccer matches often turn political in Iran, with fans sometimes chanting slogans against the state. Exiled opposition groups had called for protests after Sunday's match but officials say the riots were not political.
While Iran's reformist President Mohammad Khatami appealed to fans to avoid wild celebrations ahead of the match last week, the head of the hardline Revolutionary Court accused US-based opposition groups of inciting violence and told judges not to be lenient in their sentencing.