Munich – Chess professional Amin Tabatabaei caused a scandal at the Sunway Sitges.
At the chess tournament in Barcelona, the Iranian grandmaster, who plays for FC Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga, refused to play against his Israeli opponent Netanel Levi.
The match went to the Israeli without a fight. FC Bayern has not yet commented on this incident.
Iran vs. Israel: Unpleasant history
It is not the first case in which an Iranian athlete refuses to compete against an opponent from Israel. In such cases, the mullah regime repeatedly exerts political pressure. It is unclear whether this was also a motive for Tabatabaei.
At the center of a particularly blatant scandal was judoka Saeid Mollaei. He was told during the 2019 World Judo Championships not to compete in the Quarterfinals as he might have faced Israel’s Sagi Muki later in the tournament.
According to Mollaei, he was put under pressure by the Iranian mullahs’ regime, and his family was also threatened. The judoka competed anyway, broke away from his team and fled to Germany. This case ultimately led to a four-year ban from the Iranian Judo Federation.
Amin Tabatabaei: Consequences for Iran’s Chess Federation?
Paul Meyer-Dunker, President of the Berlin Chess Federation, also called for sanctions for Tabatabaei’s boycott on Twitter: “Will this hatred of our Israeli colleagues and the oppression of our Iranian colleagues ever have any consequences for the Iranian Chess Federation?”
Hello @FIDE_chess how long are you going to tolerate this? Will this hate against our Israeli colleagues and oppression of our Iranian colleagues ever have any consequences for the Iranian Chess Federation? pic.twitter.com/Z2rDX147Wr
— Paul Meyer-Dunker (@Meyer_Dunker) December 13, 2022
A reaction from the international chess federation is still pending.
