The journey towards a Football Stadium: Football Fandom in Iran and Jafar Panahi’s Offside (2006)

Abstract

Abstract

Football Iranian Style (2001) is a documentary film made by Maziar Bahari which explores and documents the personal emotions and national feelings of football fans of contemporary Iran. Iranian soccer lovers, both boys and girls, eloquently articulate their passion for football and express their desire for being present in the arena on the occasion of the national soccer team’s performance in international matches. Cultural critic Shiva Balaghi (2003, p. 54) explains: "The stadium […] has become a rare social space where Iranian youth can transcend boundaries of authority and express themselves with relative lack of inhibition".