Iran takes on Morocco in a World Cup match at 10 a.m. ET, but the players will be doing so wearing shoes they provided for themselves — as Nike has withdrawn their support of the Iranian national team right before the start of the 2018 World Cup.
Nike says they’re not allowed to supply Iran’s World Cup team with shoes due to U.S. sanctions
The Trump White House decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal has consequences at the World Cup.
Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images
Why is Nike not providing boots to Iran?
Nike withdrew their support of the Iran soccer team just days before the World Cup began, as a result of sanctions President Donald Trump and the White House announced they were re-imposing on the Iranian government following their decision to pull out of the Iranian nuclear deal.
In a statement, Nike wrote:
US sanctions mean that, as a US company, Nike cannot supply shoes to players in the Iranian national team at this time. Sanctions applicable to Nike have been in place for many years and are enforceable by law.
Did Nike really have to abide by these sanctions?
The Washington Post spoke to Erich Ferrari, an attorney who specializes in sanctions, about how much Nike was really tied up.
From The Washington Post:
Legally, he says, Nike is correct. He explains, however, that the company could have easily applied for a license from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which oversees sanctions implementation and enforcement. “They have a long history of granting authorizations so as to not impede international sports competitions. Under the current administration, OFAC has been very strict in its licensing policy, but it still seems like something that should have been licensed,” Ferrari said.
On top of that, Nike is facing criticism because these renewed U.S. sanctions against Iran technically don’t begin until August.
How is Iran’s World Cup team reacting to the news?
Iran’s coach, Carlos Queiroz, was furious with the decision.
“This last comment of Nike was, in my personal view, an unnecessary statement. Everybody is aware about the sanctions.
”It was ridiculous and unnecessary to produce this statement against a couple of young players.
“They [Nike] should come out and apologize because this arrogant conduct against [the team] is absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary,” Queiroz told Sky Sports.
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