Following on from Stefania’s post, the World Cup match between Iran and Mexico went on, and Iranian exiles, though they didn’t win the match, did a good job cheering their team.

As Stefania noted, many of the exiles were making a political statement about Iran’s regime by waving the old Iranian flag, which featured a lion and sun emblem.

You might argue that there’s something off about politicizing a soccer match by waving politically loaded flags, but I see something very different – the babes are cheering the Iranian team (and I am sure it’s a state-sponsored team) even though they despise the mullah regime. That’s not politicizing a game, that’s depoliticizing a game, and I think it’s pretty commendable and appropriate.

Nouri (see the comments) pointed out that the flag being waved in the first photo in Stefania’s post nevertheless did not feature the lion and sun emblem that (we are lightly arguing) represents the old Shah of Iran’s regime. That apparently is true, but the photo itself was taken before the game.

Since then, I have found some photos from the game itself that do, and it’s interesting that for a regime so discredited (the Shah’s), these Shah-flag wavers do feature babes.

It makes me wonder why they are doing it. Is it because it’s something the mullahs don’t like, chiefly reactive? Is it because they really like the Shah, or something about the Shah’s regime? For all its faults, it was a far freer regime for women. Stefania points out that it doesn’t represent the Shah at all (and I argue, at this point). Is it another reason? (Nouri, your opinion would be valuable!)

But there’s no question that the Iranian babes are there, a signal of things happening, and something for the puritanical mullahs to get outraged about. See for yourself:

Here’s a lion and sun babe

More soccer babes

More soccer babes
Yet another

More Iranian babes near the end – note that beer detail, Mexican beer!

These can be called guy-babes, and I love this photo, Mexican and Iranian fans grinning together instead of doing the soccer hooligan thing – very good!

Source: Reuters, AP, via Yahoo!

I watched the thing on Univision but as for which side I took, I had to be neutral – I am in a part of Los Angeles at the exact intersection of the Mexican and Iranian exile communities. The Mexican team was clearly stronger, but the Iranians put up a good fight and did not disgrace themselves. Still, the match was not as powerful and professional as the Argentina-Ivory Coast one yesterday. What did I do on this one? I cheered both sides!