7. Iran’s football revolution, 1998

by Matthew Weiner for CNN

They may have been [Talvez tenham sido] two of the least significant [dois dos menos importantes] footballing sides [times de futebol] at France ’98 [da Copa do Mundo da França, em 1998], but nevertheless [não obstante, no entanto] this fixture [esta partida] caught the world’s imagination [chamou a atenção internacional; capturou a imaginação do mundo (lit.)] because Iran and the United States had been at loggerheads [vinham se confrontando, viviam uma tensa relação diplomática] since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Although political relations were strained [Embora as relações políticas estivessem abaladas], the clash of civilizations [o choque de civilizações] never quite happened [não chegou a se materializar] on the pitch [em campo]. Instead [Em vez disso], both sides showed the utmost respect [demonstraram o mais absoluto respeito], swapping [trocando] flowers, gifts [presentes] and photographs before the kick-off [do pontapé inicial].

The Iranians won 2-1 [ganharam por 2 a 1], but, celebrations [comemorações] back home had a destabilizing effect [tiveram um efeito perturbador] as hundreds of thousands [centenas de milhares] of young people [jovens], including women, partied [festejaram] in the streets in defiance of [desrespeitando, desafiando] government warnings [as ordens do governo].

“In my neighborhood [bairro] everybody goes out into the streets,” one young Iranian told the BBC’s Jim Muir. “It’s a good excuse [desculpa] for boys and girls to mix [se misturarem], and in a way [de certa forma] it’s political, because it’s a demand [demanda, exigência] for social change [mudanças sociais].”