When Iran faces off against Nigeria for a June 16 match in the FIFA World Cup, (http://data.huffingtonpost.com/2014/world-cup) fans in both teams' home countries may be hard-pressed to find a public spot to watch the game.
In an attempt at crowd control, Iranian police banned cafes and restaurants from airing World Cup games, (http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-27780343) even Iran's own matches, the BBC reported Tuesday, citing local media. The decision came just weeks after the country banned women from watching the games (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/world/middleeast/world-cup-draws-little-of-fervor-seen-in-2013.html) with men in public cinemas.
Though Iranian TV will still air the games (http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/world-cup-2014/16670-iranian-regime-orders-cafes-not-to-broadcast-world-cup-matches), police told the Cafe Owners Union in Tehran to not tune in to broadcast matches.
Authorities in the northeast Nigerian city of Adamawa have ordered a ban on all public viewings (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27805828) of the games, citing the possibility of bombings during the events, per a separate report by the BBC. "Our action is not to stop Nigerians ... (http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKBN0EM1MG20140611) watching the World Cup. It is to protect their lives," Brigadier General Nicholas Rogers told reporters Wednesday.
The crackdown comes just a week after suspected members of Islamist militant group Boko Haram set off a car bomb, (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/world-cup-2014-bomb-threat-nigerian-state-bans-all-public-viewings-as-brazil-tournament-starts-over-boko-haram-security-fears-9530959.html) killing 18 people who were watching a televised match in a viewing center in Adamawa.
Source: huffingtonpost.com
They've done the right thing. Safety first in whatever we do.