Never before has a football match caused such controversy in Iran.
The storm started when officials realized that a World Cup match between Iran and South Korea in the 2018 Qualifying Games would take place on October 11 in Tehran. This year, October 11 coincides with the 9th day of the month of Muharram in the Islamic lunar calendar. Muharram is a sacred month for all Muslims, but Shia Muslims consider the 9th day (called Tasu'a) and the 10th day (called Ashura) especially holy. On those two days in 680 AD, the Umayyad Caliph Yazid I sent his armies to destroy the third Shia imam Hossein, who was also the grandson of Islam’s prophet Mohammad, along with his followers.