Fars News Agency, a media outlet linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued open threats against Voria Ghafouri, former captain and current coach of Esteghlal, Ali Habibi-Nejad, a member of Iran’s national boxing team, and the management of Bargh Shiraz Football Club.

Earlier, Voria Ghafouri said his cafés in Tehran would remain closed on Thursday and Friday, January 8 and 9, 2026, in support of nationwide strikes. Around the same time, Ali Habibi-Nejad used his official Instagram account to urge people across Iran to join “walking” gatherings in cities and streets on those days. Bargh Shiraz Football Club also expressed support, saying it would suspend activity on its official Instagram page “for now.”

In a report titled “Calling for Chaos from the Football Field,” Fars News Agency wrote:

“These unrests will soon come to an end, but the real test for officials of the football federation, boxing federation, and Esteghlal Football Club will begin afterward - when they must show that calls for chaos will receive a firm response.”

Publicly threatening a coach, a national-level athlete, and a sports club through a media outlet linked to the IRGC constitutes a clear breach of International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules and global sports regulations - especially those protecting freedom of expression and barring political interference in sport.

The Olympic Charter makes clear that political authorities and military institutions are not allowed to interfere in sport, while also affirming that athletes have legitimate rights to express political or social views.

In the same report, Fars News Agency claimed that some Iranian citizens were killed by people it described as “rioters,” and attempted to shift responsibility for those deaths onto athletes or sports clubs that had shown support for the nationwide protests.