The History of Soccer in Iran

Growing up Iranian American, Shima Oliaee found her mother didn’t talk much about where she came from. Watching soccer, though, was a portal to Iran, a place that was in large part a mystery.

Shima delves into the stories she didn’t hear growing up: Iran's mandated modernization and how soccer played a role, the women-led 1979 revolution, and her parents’ mistaken-identity love story. 

Shima and her mom meet Zeinab Sahafy, a young Iranian woman and avid soccer fan whose love of the game led to her being named an enemy of the state.

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