Judiciary to declare final verdict on Azadi Stadium incident

IRNA - Deputy head of Iran's Physical Education Organization for legal affairs, Mohammad Derakhshan, said here Tuesday that the Judicial branch of power will soon declare its verdict on the incident which took place at Azadi Stadium during Iran-Japan World Cup qualifier football match.

Speaking to reporters, he said that probe into the issue has been launched by various organizations in charge and that the final verdict will soon be issued by the Judiciary.

Turning to the safety measures taken by the police over the recent years, particularly at the sports stadium and the commitment of the Physical Education Organization, the recent incident, should not raise any question on their performance.

He referred to the restoration of Azadi Sports Stadium and said that, "Up to a few years ago, the stadium was not even suitable for domestic games, but after being restored it is now in position to hold international competitions."
Regretting over the incident, Derakhshan said that the relevant verdict is expected to be declared pretty soon and added that any organization having failed to accomplish its tasks in this connection should be punished.

Seven people were trampled over and lost their lives and 30 others were wounded in a stampede when tens of thousands of soccer fans were leaving Tehran's Azadi stadium after the Iran-Japan football game which ended on March 26.

The Iran-Japan World Cup qualifier football match ended 2-1 in favor of Iran's National Football Team.