Heated debate has erupted in Iran over the confluence of Tasua, one of the most significant holy days in the Shiite calendar, and the Oct. 11 Iran-South Korea football qualifier for the 2018 World Cup. 

Tasua and Ashura, the ninth and 10th days of the month of Moharram, are days of national mourning to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad.

Jamejam Online reported Oct. 2 that Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi has harshly criticized Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Mahmoud Goudarzi for not rescheduling or canceling the match, which is scheduled for Tehran’s Azadi Stadium. Yazdi — the president of the Society of Seminary Teachers in the holy city of Qom and until last May head of the Assembly of Experts — has openly criticized President Hassan Rouhani and his ministers on numerous occasions for their cultural policies.

On Oct. 4, Jamejam Online published an open letter penned by Ali Motahari — the outspoken deputy speaker of parliament — and addressed to Yazdi. In the letter, Motahari called Yazdi’s stance on the match “indigestible.”