“Betray on the fatherland”
Because of Trump: referee badly insulted
Updated on July 19, 2025 – 11:46 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Alireza Faghani was a referee in the club World Cup final-a special honor for the Iranian. But in his home country this success was not well received everywhere.
Iranian referee Alireza Faghani has been defamed in his home country with posters. The reason for this was his commitment at the final of the club World Cup. The opponents of Faghanis were not concerned with his performance in the 90 minutes, but about a scene after the game. Because FIFA President Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump honored the referee, received a medal and a handshake from Trump.
The United States participated in the Israel Iran War at the end of June and attacked Iranian nuclear facilities. Also because the Trump government is publicly at the side, the President of the United States is a thorn in the side of many in Iran. Faghani’s handshake was therefore heavily criticized in his home country.
In the Iranian city of Ghom, posters were seen days after the club World Cup game, on which Faghani was depicted. His medal from the final was replaced by a potato. In addition, “a betrayal on the fatherland” was on the posters. Experts suspect a possible campaign by the Iranian government behind it, which wants to influence the population in the media.
Faghani himself received a lot of encouragement. He posted pictures of the final on Instagram and wrote: “A final is not like any other game. I am grateful for the chance to be part of the football story again.” In the comments, his fans celebrated him as one of the best referees in the world. “You make all Iranians proud in the world. Thank you for representing Iran with such an excellent performance,” was an exemplary comment.