He was answering reporters questions to know why the Iranian team, considered one of the best and strongest in its category, lost to the much weaker Bahrain 3 to 1, if it were not because the authorities had coerced the players to "give up the game" in order to avoid nation-wide anti-regime demonstrations, as seen on 12 October following Iranian victory over neighbouring Iraq 2 to 1.

Mr. Safa’i-Farahani, a reformist MM (Member of the Majles) stressed that there have been no truth to assertions insinuating that the defeat was a forgone conclusion and added that the players knew that if they qualified for the 2002 World Cup, not only they would make the nation proud, they will also be showcased in the games and their money-value would rise", the official news agency IRNA quoted him

''Iranian side had a good practice on Saturday and were well rested and well fed'', he pointed out, adding that the Head Coach had also tried to allay impression that Bahrain is a weak team and had stressed to the players that the game would not be a walk over.

"Moreover, there were no problems among player and between them and coaches", he stated, brushing away other speculations that there had been some row between some players and the Croatian coach hours before the start of the match.

He backed the Head Coach Miroslav Blaezevic and rejected calls for his dismissal.

He stated that the Iranian national team would walk on the pitch on Thursday with lots of hope to beat United Arab Emirates (UAE). The winner of that match would play against the Republic of Ireland for the two-leg World Cup qualification deciders next month.

On disturbances in Tehran following the game he said ''We cannot control or form public opinion,...The press shapes the public opinion'', he pointed out, blaming some conservatives-controlled newspapers for fanning the people’s anger by systematically calling the football funs as "hooligans" and "counter-revolutionaries".

The mob shouted slogans against the Islamic regime and the leader, with some chanting "Death to the Mullahs".

Young women, usually in cars, tore off their headscarves and waved them provocatively in the face of police. Middle-aged women held toddlers in their arms, lining the streets and bickering with the police when told to move on, eyewitnesses told Iran Press Service.

Ayatollah Khameneh’i, appeared on state television on Tuesday night and, with a hoarse voice, explained illness had obliged him to postpone his scheduled visit to Esfahan.

He told IRNA that following the objection lodged by Iran's football federation to FIFA regarding Bahrain's contravention of FIFA rules, several hooligans on the pretext of possible qualification of the national football team of Iran caused disturbances in the two cities.

Unofficial sources claimed that some people died, while there was an increased military presence in the cities.

Witnesses said police, backed by plainclothes forces, skirmished with young demonstrators across the capital. For a third night, state-owned banks were damaged and people chanted anti-regime slogans.

State broadcast media maintained a news blackout on the rioting, but hard-line newspapers blamed "counter-revolutionaries" for inciting the unrest through broadcasts on US-based satellite television networks.

Abass Torabian, spokesman for the Iranian football federation, said the players were "crying and ashamed" after Sunday's defeat in Bahrain. "They are keen to make amends against the UAE," he added.

"Bahrain! Bahrain!": Have you ever heard of football fans singing the praise of the side that defeated them?", asked sociologist Nashmil Razavi.

"The repression of which young people have been the victims for more than 20 years, the police round-ups during parties, the arrests of teenage boys and girls, would lead anyone to take to the streets and start dancing for any reason," she told the French news agency AFP, noting, "patriotism was stifled for years following the 1979 Islamic revolution".

"It should not be forgotten that the main rivals of the Islamists were the nationalists," Razavi said, adding, "The national team's victories are the ideal opportunity to dance under the flag."

"Instead of thinking of how best prevent demonstrations, authorities ought to think about the roots of the football violence and remove it", he suggested.

"If you had been the victim of repression for two decades, you would surely take advantage of the first opportunity to let off steam", another analyst, Farokh Siassi, explained.

"Naturally, breaking windows and sacking banks is barbaric and leads to nothing, but no one should mistake these youths for social theoreticians" he said, adding that "the pressure stemming from poverty and restrictions engenders hatred".