Persepolis goalkeeper Sosha Makani, 29, has been hit with a 6 month ban on domestic competition by Iran’s football federation for the crime of wearing what some are calling SpongeBob SquarePants, uh, pants (above, right). From the Independent’s Mark Critchley :
“We made the decision based on the clothing of this national football team player and the impact it can have on society,” an unnamed member of the committee told Varzesh3, an Iranian news agency.
Although the trousers do not feature a SpongeBob SquarePants design, users on social media and members of the Iranian press likened them to the cartoon character because of their colour.
Makani was temporarily jailed in January after a number of images of him posing with women who were not wearing the hijab were circulated on social media.