Tehran: Two Iranian footballers are facing 74 lashes for one of them pinching the bottom of another during an "immoral" goal celebration on the pitch.
Footage of the live televised match showed defender Mohammad Nosrati pinching the bottom of Persepolis teammate Sheys Rezaei during a goal celebration against rivals Damash Gilan, Sky News reports.
Rezaei and Nosrati are facing a flogging, possibly on the pitch where the celebration took place, after a judge said they may have violated public chastity laws.
Judge Valiollah Hosseini said that the punishment for violating the chastity law is up to two months in prison and 74 lashes.
"It is even worse to do these actions before the eyes of thousands of spectators and TV cameras," he added.
The YouTube footage of the celebration, which became popular, showed Rezaei hugging another, unidentified teammate to celebrate Persepolis`s winning goal in the final minutes of a 3-2 win.
Rezaei and Nosrati, known as the "Minister of Defence" for his skills on the pitch, have already been banned from football for an "indefinite period" and fined the equivalent of GBP 25,000 for the "immoral" acts.
ANI
